The Challenge: More Than Just an Online Store
Most clubs have a website. Most clubs eventually think about selling merch. But the brief we received from Politehnica Iași was more ambitious: build a single, unified digital platform that serves supporters, communicates club news, surfaces live football data, and sells official merchandise - all without friction, all mobile-first, all on one infrastructure.
That's not a typical Shopify project. That's a content-commerce hybrid, and getting it right requires deliberate architectural decisions from day one.
Our Technical Approach
Shopify as the Foundation (and more)
As a Shopify Plus Certified Partner, we've built on Shopify long enough to know exactly where its boundaries are, and, more importantly, how far beyond a standard storefront it can reach when the implementation is done right. For Politehnica Iași, we chose Shopify precisely because of that ceiling: high enough to support a full content-commerce ecosystem, with the performance and reliability a club's supporter base demands. The implementation goes well beyond a standard storefront. Shopify's flexibility allowed us to build a true multi-purpose platform:
The official club website: news, squad pages, staff directory, competition standings, and match schedule; all managed through Shopify's content infrastructure, with fast editorial workflows that let the club update information in real time.
Poli Iași TV: a dedicated media section integrating video content directly into the platform, giving supporters access to press conferences, match highlights, and official club content without leaving the site.
The official online store: built natively into the same ecosystem, with no redirects, no third-party store embeds, and no disconnected experience.
This kind of integration, where editorial content, sporting data, and eCommerce coexist seamlessly, is one of Shopify's less-publicised strengths, and one we've refined through dozens of builds.
One of the more technically interesting elements of this project was surfacing dynamic sporting data directly on the storefront. The homepage displays the next fixture with a live countdown, the latest result, and upcoming match schedule (all updated automatically).
The Noblesse Theme: Built by Vevol
For the visual layer, we used Noblesse - a premium Shopify theme developed in-house by our team and available on the official Shopify Theme Store. This was a deliberate choice. Using our own theme means we have full control over every component, every performance parameter, and every customisation.
Noblesse gave us the flexibility to adapt the layout to the specific needs of a sports club: strong visual hierarchy for match information, clear navigation between editorial and commercial sections, and a mobile experience that doesn't compromise on either speed or design quality. When supporters are checking the score and then deciding to buy a jersey, that transition needs to feel effortless.
Product Personalisation
The launch collection, official home kits and shorts for adults and juniors, includes on-product personalisation: supporters can add their name and number to jerseys, and a number to shorts. Implementing this cleanly within Shopify's cart and order system, while keeping the UX straightforward for customers, required custom line item properties and careful order management logic to ensure personalisation data flows through correctly to fulfilment.
Performance and Mobile-First Architecture
With a football supporter base that overwhelmingly consumes content on mobile, often in stadiums or on the move, performance wasn't optional. The platform was built with Core Web Vitals in mind: optimised image delivery via Shopify's CDN, minimal render-blocking resources, and section-based architecture that allows the club's team to make content changes without touching code.
The Partnership Model
This project was structured as a long-term promotional and development partnership. Vevol Media handles the ongoing technical and operational management of the platform in collaboration with the club's own team.
This model reflects how we think about client relationships: we build platforms we're proud to maintain, not ones we hand off and forget. As Politehnica Iași grows, new signings, new seasons, new campaigns, the platform grows with them.
What's Next
The current store launch is intentionally focused: four core products, clean personalisation options, a smooth purchase experience. That foundation is solid, and it's designed to scale. Over the coming months, the platform will expand with new merchandise categories, additional features, and deeper integrations, in step with the club's trajectory on and off the pitch.
We're proud to support Politehnica Iași's modernisation and to be listed as an official partner alongside the club's sponsors. You can explore the full platform here.
Thinking about a similar project?
Whether you're a sports club, a brand with a content-heavy presence, a business that's outgrown its current eCommerce setup, or looking to migrate to Shopify, we'd love to talk. As a Shopify Plus Certified Partner, we build platforms that are made to last and built to scale. Get in touch with our team and let's see what we can build together.