US Bank, PLL, and WLL
A San Diego Sports Mural for US Bank, PLL, and WLL
When US Bank, the Premier Lacrosse League, and the Women's Lacrosse League wanted to gift a mural to a San Diego County elementary school, they needed a San Diego muralist who could work inside brand guidelines, hit a two-day install window, and hold up through triple-digit heat without missing a beat.
As a San Diego mural artist working with national brands and sports leagues, this was exactly the kind of project I love taking on. Here's how it came together, from the first brief to the kids who got to play lacrosse with professional athletes on opening day.
SUMMARY
In June 2026, Pandr Design Co. painted a 220 square foot lacrosse mural on the wall ball court at Blossom Valley Elementary in El Cajon, CA, a project gifted to the school through a community partnership between US Bank, the Premier Lacrosse League, and the Women's Lacrosse League. The mural features both men's and women's lacrosse players alongside California landscape elements, was completed in two days by a four-person crew, and was finished in time for a youth lacrosse event at the school the following week.
A Lacrosse Mural Brief From US Bank, PLL, and WLL
This mural started as a gift, not a straightforward client booking, though it followed the same process I use for any corporate sponsored mural or brand partnership project. US Bank, the Premier Lacrosse League, and the Women's Lacrosse League teamed up to donate a wall ball court mural to Blossom Valley Elementary in El Cajon, part of a broader push to get kids interested in lacrosse early.
I worked directly with the Premier Lacrosse League's team throughout the project, and from our first conversation the brief was specific: represent both men's and women's lacrosse, celebrate California with waves and mountains, and work in PLL and WLL's brand colors of blue and yellow, along with their specific logos. They were clear they didn't want any type or lettering in the design, just imagery.
That kind of clarity is a gift on its own! I put together one initial concept, they loved it, and we moved through a single round of revisions before locking in the final design.
Designing a School Playground Mural Within Brand Guidelines
Most of my murals lean into pattern, lettering, and abstract shapes, so painting actual human figures for this one was a nice change of pace. The final design features a male and a female lacrosse player in mid-motion, framed by California waves and mountains, built out of bold color-blocked shapes rather than fine detail.
That style choice had real practical reasons behind it, beyond just looking good. Color-blocking reads clearly to kids on a playground, it photographs well for the partners' own marketing, and it's fast to execute cleanly on a compressed timeline, which mattered a lot for this one.
Before this project, the wall ball court was just beige cinder block, like most of the rest of the playground. Bringing color into a space like that is one of my favorite parts of this job, and knowing it was designed specifically to get kids excited about picking up a lacrosse stick made it even better.
Two Days, Four Painters, One Wall Ball Court Mural
Two hundred and twenty square feet doesn't sound like much until you're trying to finish it in two days with a hard deadline behind it.
PLL had a youth lacrosse event scheduled at the school the following week, and between that and my own calendar being packed with other murals that month, June 20th and 21st were the only two days that actually worked.
I brought in three assistants, Allison Hunsley, Josie Marlyn Gomez, and Zara Murphy, so it was four of us total on the wall for both days, moving fast and staying organized to hit that deadline without cutting corners on quality.
Related: How to Use a VR Headset to Paint a Mural
Painting a San Diego Sports Mural Through a Heat Wave
The heat was brutal both days, and to make things more interesting, the school didn't have restroom access available to us on-site. We ended up driving down the street to local businesses whenever anyone needed a break, and we packed enough coolers full of water and Gatorade to get through a much longer job than this one.
This is the unglamorous side of mural logistics, and exactly why site conditions belong in every conversation before a project starts.
If you’re a fellow muralist, this is exactly why we outline logistics in our contract template!
The bright spot of those two days happened at lunch on day one, when the crew found a barbecue spot nearby with live music playing. We sat down, actually rested, and had a genuinely good time before getting back on the wall for the second half of the day. Those small moments matter more than people realize when you're grinding through a narrow window in the heat.
Full Circle: Why This Youth Sports Mural Was Personal
I played lacrosse in middle and high school, so getting to paint a mural that might get some elementary schoolers excited about the same sport felt like a full circle moment for me personally. I've now painted murals connected to football, soccer, NASCAR, and baseball leagues over the years, and lacrosse joining that list felt like a nice milestone.
Between the sport connection and getting to turn another beige playground wall into something kids will actually want to look at, this was one of those projects that reminded me why I love this work in the first place.
The Response to San Diego's Newest Sports Mural
The following week, PLL held their youth lacrosse event at the school, and the photos they sent over afterward made the whole tight timeline worth it. Kids were out on the court practicing right in front of the mural, interacting with professional lacrosse players on the same wall we'd painted days before.
PLL covered the project on their own site, and US Bank put together a video recap. Both are worth a look if you want to see the finished wall and the event that followed it:
Projects like this one are a good reminder that murals don't have to sit inside a typical for-profit transaction to make sense for a business. US Bank, PLL, and WLL used this mural to invest in a community and get kids excited about their sport at the same time, and that kind of thinking shows up more often than people expect.
If your brand is weighing something similar, or if you're a fellow muralist thinking about building community give-back into your own business, I wrote more about how to approach that in 10 Strategies for Donating a Mural That Benefits Your Business, Too.
FAQ
Do you create murals for sports brands, teams, and organizations?
Yes! PANDR has painted murals connected to football, soccer, NASCAR, baseball, and other sports projects over the years, including brand partnerships and community sponsorships. We love bringing sports stories, athletes, and fan communities to life through large-scale artwork and are always excited to take on more projects in the sports space.
How much does it cost to sponsor a mural for a school? Costs vary based on size, location, and timeline. A 220 square foot wall ball court mural like this one is a useful benchmark for brands considering a similar community partnership, but every project is quoted individually.
Can a brand sponsor a mural without it feeling like an advertisement? Yes, when the design centers the community rather than the logo. This mural leads with lacrosse imagery and California landscape elements, with brand colors and logos integrated rather than dominating the wall.
How long does a project like this take? This mural was completed in two days by a four-person crew, though timelines depend on square footage, surface conditions, and design complexity.
Do you work with corporate sponsors and leagues directly, or through an agency? Both happen. On this project, Pandr worked directly with the Premier Lacrosse League's team from the initial brief through final design approval.
Ready to Hire a San Diego Muralist?
If your brand, league, or organization is thinking about a community mural project of your own, whether it's sponsored, donated, or somewhere in between, reach out and let's talk through it.
And if you're a fellow muralist reading this and wondering how projects like this one come together on the business side, from outreach to managing a tight brand-guideline brief, that's exactly the kind of thing I cover in coaching sessions!
