Club Hoodies for UK Sports Clubs: A Committee's Guide
By The Velocity Wear Team
Every club committee has a cupboard somewhere with a box of hoodies in sizes nobody wears. Club kit is great for identity and fundraising, but it's easy to tie up hundreds of pounds in stock. The fix is less about the hoodie and more about how you order it.
Pre-order, don't stock
Open a pre-order window of two or three weeks. Members pick their size and pay upfront. Then you order exactly what's been paid for, plus a handful of the most common sizes for latecomers. The club never carries risk, and nobody gets a hoodie that doesn't fit.
Our minimum is 20 per design with sizes mixed, which most clubs clear easily. If you have 80 members and half want one, you're at 40 pieces, which already gets a better price than 20.
Juniors and adults in one order
Clubs with junior sections usually want the same design in kids' and adult sizes. Ask for both in one order under the same design. Just remember a design scaled for an adult XL back can look huge on a kids' age 7 to 8. Ask for the artwork to be sized per garment range.
Crests, sponsors and names
- Embroider the crest on the left chest. It looks proper and outlasts print.
- Put a sponsor on the back or sleeve, and check the sponsor is happy with how their logo is used.
- Offer initials or names as an optional extra so people can personalise without complicating the base order.
- If your crest includes a league or governing body mark, check you're allowed to use it on merch.
Pick a colour you can repeat
Clubs reorder. New members join every season. Choose a colour that's a standard, and write down the exact reference. Club navy from one batch that's visibly different from the next is the kind of thing that annoys a whole changing room.
Fundraising margin
Many clubs add a few pounds to each hoodie as a fundraiser. Be open about it, members generally don't mind when they know it's going toward pitches or kit. Use the pricing calculator to find your cost at the quantity you expect, then set a price.
Who handles the money and the boxes
Decide one person owns the order. Not the whole committee. One person collects the list, one person talks to the supplier, and the treasurer handles payments. When five volunteers each send slightly different size lists, errors are guaranteed.
Ask for hoodies to be bagged and labelled by name if names are printed, and sorted by size if not. It saves an evening on the clubhouse floor sorting 60 hoodies into piles. Handing them out at a training session or match day also turns delivery into a bit of an occasion, which does wonders for next season's pre-order.
Volunteer and coach hoodies
Club coaches and volunteers stand on touchlines in all weathers. A club hoodie with COACH or VOLUNTEER on the back is a thank-you that also helps parents and visiting teams find the right person on match days.
Timing around the season
Order at least four weeks before you need them: two to three for production after artwork approval, plus delivery and a margin. Pre-season and the run-up to Christmas are the most popular times.
Browse custom hoodies, or look at tracksuits if you want matching bottoms for match days.
