Kitting Out a Grassroots Football Team

SPORT · GLOBAL

Kitting Out a Grassroots Football Team

Sizing a squad, printing and numbers, training kit and budgeting

Ordering kit for a team is a logistics problem rather than a shopping one, and the things that go wrong are predictable enough to plan around.

Size the squad properly

Collect sizes in writing from every player rather than estimating, and order a sample set to try on if the supplier offers it. Football kit sizing varies enormously between manufacturers.

For youth teams, order by height rather than age, and expect players to grow between ordering and the season starting.

Order spares

Always order two or three extra shirts in common sizes. New players join, shirts are lost, and reordering a single item later frequently means a different dye lot or a discontinued range.

Check how long the range will remain available before committing to it.

Printing and numbers

Agree the numbering before ordering and write it down, since printed shirts cannot be exchanged. Check league rules on numbering, sponsor placement and advertising.

Heat-pressed numbers last longer than cheap vinyl, which cracks after a season of washing.

Training kit and the rest

Bibs, cones, balls of the correct size for the age group, a first aid kit, water bottles and a stretcher or spinal board if your league requires one.

Ball size matters — size three for the youngest, size four in the middle years, size five from around fourteen.

Washing

Cool, inside out, no fabric softener, and never tumble dried. Heat is what cracks printing and lifts sponsor logos.

Lead times

Custom kit with printing takes weeks rather than days, and pre-season is the busiest period for every supplier. Order in spring for an autumn season rather than in August.

Ask for a digital proof of the design and the printing before production starts, and have someone else check every name and number.

Boots and shinpads

Shinpads are compulsory in competitive football and must be covered entirely by socks. Sized properly, they cover most of the shin without restricting the ankle.

Boot studs must suit the surface — moulded for firm ground and artificial pitches, and metal studs are banned on most artificial surfaces.

Safeguarding and first aid

Youth teams carry safeguarding obligations that matter considerably more than equipment, including background checks and a designated officer. Check your league and association requirements.

Have a stocked first aid kit at every session and someone trained to use it.

Budgeting and sponsorship

Local sponsorship covers kit for many grassroots teams, and sponsors generally want their logo and a photograph. Agree what they get in writing.

Check safeguarding requirements for youth teams, which are separate from kit and considerably more important.

WHERE TO BUY

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