Teamwear
How to Order Custom Football Kits: A Step-by-Step Guide for Clubs
From agreeing the design to handing out kits on match day — the steps, documents and decisions involved in ordering custom football kits, and the mistakes that cause delays.
Ordering a new kit is usually done by a volunteer with a deadline: the season starts in eight weeks, the sponsor wants their logo on the front, and twenty parents want to know which size to pick. This guide breaks the process into steps you can follow, with the documents you will need at each one.
Step 1: Agree what you are ordering
Before talking to any manufacturer, agree internally on:
- Which items: shirt only, or shirt, shorts and socks? Goalkeeper kit? Training wear?
- How many designs: home, away, third? Each design usually has its own minimum quantity.
- Your deadline: the date kits must be in hand, not the date you would like them shipped.
- Your budget per player, including shipping.
If you are not sure how many to order, read how many sports kits should you order.
Step 2: Prepare your design brief
You do not need a finished design. You do need:
- your crest as a vector file (AI, EPS, SVG or PDF) if possible;
- sponsor logos, also as vector files, and any rules the sponsor has about size or colour;
- your club colours, ideally as Pantone references;
- a reference — a photo of a kit you like, or a sketch.
Alternatively, design it in our kit builder and send the design straight to us.
Step 3: Request a quote
Send the brief with quantities per item and design, the delivery country and your deadline. A good quotation will state the fabric and GSM, decoration method, sizes available, sample time and cost, production time and shipping. If anything is missing, ask before you approve.
Step 4: Approve the mock-up
The manufacturer returns a digital mock-up showing your kit front, back and sleeves. Check:
- crest on the correct side (the player's left chest);
- sponsor readable at a distance;
- number font and size meet your league's rules;
- collar and sleeve details match what you asked for;
- names and numbers placement on the back.
Step 5: Collect sizes, names and numbers
This is where most delays happen. Use one spreadsheet with three columns — name, number, size — and send it before the sample is approved. Mixed sizes are normal; include youth sizes and women's fits where needed.
Step 6: Check the sample
A pre-production sample shows the real fabric, colours and print. Check it in daylight, wash it once if time allows, and compare the size with your size chart. Any changes — colour, logo size, fit — are made now.
Step 7: Production
Once you approve the sample and confirm the order, production starts. For sublimated kits, typical production time is a few weeks; your quotation will give a date. You can follow progress in your customer account.
Step 8: Inspection, packing and delivery
Every shirt is checked for print, seams and size, and every name and number against your list. Ask for per-player packing if you want each player's shirt, shorts and socks bagged together — it saves hours on distribution day.
Step 9: Plan the top-up order
New players will join. Keep your design files and squad list together, and when you need more, reorder from your account using the same specification.
Kit manager's checklist
- Items, designs and quantities agreed
- Crest and sponsor logos as vector files
- Colours with Pantone references
- Deadline (in hand) confirmed
- Mock-up approved
- Name, number and size spreadsheet sent
- Sample checked and approved
- Delivery address and contact confirmed
