Custom Football Shirts for Sunday League and Five-a-Side Teams
By The Velocity Wear Team
Custom and personalised football shirts each get about twenty-four hundred UK searches a month. Sunday league sides, five-a-side teams, works teams, junior clubs and stag weekend matches all want shirts that look like a real kit. Here's how to get one.
Match kit vs supporter shirts
Match kits need lightweight, breathable polyester that handles sweat and rain. Full custom designs are usually sublimated, with the colours dyed into the fabric so they don't crack or peel. For fans, parents and the post-match pint, a cotton tee or polo with the club badge is more comfortable.
Our sublimation method suits polyester kit designs, and our cotton tees and polos suit supporters and club merch. Tell us which you need.
Names and numbers
Numbers go on the back, usually 20 to 25 cm tall for adults, and often a smaller number on the front or shorts. Names go above the number. Check your league's rules. Some leagues require numbers and specify sizes, and duplicate numbers in a squad cause problems on team sheets.
Avoid colour clashes
Before choosing colours, check what other teams in your league wear and what referees wear. Many teams get a second, contrasting shirt for away games or clashes. It's worth considering a simple away option from the start.
Don't copy professional clubs
Club crests, kit designs and manufacturer logos are protected. Your own badge, colours and design are fine. An original kit also looks better on social media than a knock-off.
Sponsors
Local businesses often sponsor grassroots teams in exchange for a front-of-shirt logo. For junior teams, check your league and county FA rules on sponsorship, since some restrict certain types of sponsor, like alcohol or gambling, on children's kit.
Junior kits
Children grow fast, so order with growing room and consider a kit that lasts two seasons. Collect sizes from parents with a form. Make sure numbers are scaled to fit smaller shirts.
Minimums
Our minimum is 20 per design, sizes mixed. A squad of 15 plus a few spares and coaching staff shirts often reaches it. Names and numbers can vary on every shirt.
Training and warm-up kit
Once the match kit is sorted, teams often add training tops and warm-up hoodies. A club hoodie in the team colour with the badge on the chest is popular for cold Sunday mornings on the touchline. See club hoodies for tips on ordering without leftover stock.
Five-a-side and works teams
Five-a-side teams usually need fewer shirts, so the minimum can be a stretch. Works teams often combine a five-a-side kit with shirts for supporters or the wider office, which brings the order up. Charity tournaments are another reason businesses order a batch: a kit for each team entered plus shirts for organisers.
Goalkeeper shirts
Goalkeepers need a different colour from both outfield teams and the referee. Order keeper shirts as a separate design in a contrasting colour. It's easy to forget until the first match.
Kit care
Wash kits inside out at the temperature on the care label, avoid fabric softener on performance fabrics, and don't tumble dry printed names and numbers on high heat.
Timing
Production takes 10 to 15 working days after artwork approval, plus delivery. Order before pre-season so kits arrive for the first league game. Mock up the kit in the design studio, and check costs on the calculator.
