How to Order Custom Team Uniforms: A Step-by-Step Checklist for Coaches and Team Reps

If you've ever been handed the job of ordering uniforms for a youth league team, a travel squad, or a school program, you already know it's more complicated than picking a jersey style off a website. Between sizing, budgets, roster changes, sponsor logos, and deadlines tied to a first game that isn't moving no matter what, uniform ordering can turn into a part-time job overnight. We've helped coaches and team reps around Hartford, SD and the greater Sioux Falls area work through this process for more than 30 years, and we've built this checklist from the questions we get asked every single season.

Whether you're outfitting a rec league soccer team, a competitive travel baseball squad, or a school program working alongside the athletic department, the fundamentals are the same. Get organized early, understand your options, and build in buffer time for the parts of the process you can't fully control — like sizing everyone correctly the first time.

Step 1: Set your budget and per-player cost before you shop styles

Before you fall in love with a jersey style, figure out what you can actually spend per player. Uniform budgets usually come from one of three places: a program budget set by the league or school, a fundraiser total, or money collected directly from parents. Whichever it is, nail down the number first.

A realistic per-player cost needs to account for more than just the shirt or jersey itself. Think through:

• The base garment (jersey, tee, or performance shirt)
• Decoration — screen printing, embroidery, or a combination of both
• Player names and numbers, if you want them
• Sponsor logos, if local businesses are helping fund the season
• Shipping or delivery timing if you're ordering from out of town
• A little cushion for late roster additions

Once you know your number, you can work backward with your decorator to figure out which garment tier and decoration method fits. This is also the point where it helps to just call and talk it through — we can usually tell you within a few minutes whether your budget lines up with what you're picturing, or whether we need to adjust garment choice or print complexity to make the numbers work.

Step 2: Decide between screen printing and embroidery for your uniforms

This is one of the first technical decisions you'll make, and it affects both your budget and how the uniforms will hold up over a season. Screen printing is usually the better call for large, bold graphics — team names across the back, big numbers, sponsor logos on a practice jersey. It's cost-effective at volume and the color options are wide open.

Embroidery is the stronger choice for smaller, high-wear areas: a chest logo, a mascot on a cap, a player's name on a polo or jacket. It's more durable against repeated washing and abrasion, and it gives a more premium look for coaching staff apparel or team travel gear. Many programs use both — screen printed jerseys for game day and embroidered polos or quarter-zips for the coaching staff and team store.

Step 3: Get accurate sizing before you order — not after

Sizing is where uniform orders go sideways more often than anything else. Youth and adult sizing charts are not interchangeable, and garment brands run differently from one another. A youth large in one brand can fit like an adult small in another.

Here's what actually works:

• Order a sample size kit or ask us to bring size samples to a practice so players and parents can try garments on in person before committing.
• Collect sizes with a written form, not verbal guesses shouted across a parking lot. A simple spreadsheet with player name, jersey size, and any name/number spelling saves enormous headaches later.
• Double-check youth vs. adult cutoffs, especially for players in that in-between range around 5th to 8th grade.
• Build in a small buffer of extra sizes (particularly mid-range adult sizes) for late additions or a size that got guessed wrong.
• Confirm spelling of every name before it goes to press — a mispelled name on a heat-pressed number is expensive to fix after the fact.

We keep size samples on hand specifically so West Central Trojans teams and other local programs can check fit before the order is finalized. It's a five-minute step that prevents an entire re-order.

Step 4: Choose the right garment for the sport and the season

Not every uniform needs to be the same material. A cross country team racing in August heat needs a lightweight, moisture-wicking singlet. A wrestling program needs a durable, close-fitting compression garment. A youth flag football league might be perfectly served by a basic cotton-poly blend tee with a printed number.

Think through practical questions before you lock in a style:

• What season is this uniform worn in, and how much does moisture-wicking performance fabric matter?
• Will this uniform be washed weekly by parents, or laundered as a set by the program?
• Does the sport involve a lot of contact or sliding, where reinforced stitching matters?
• Are you ordering just game jerseys, or do you also need practice gear, warm-ups, and a coaches' line?

Step 5: Nail down your timeline, and build in real buffer

Every coach thinks they have plenty of time until suddenly they don't. Standard production timelines for decorated apparel typically run a couple of weeks from final art approval, but that clock doesn't start until sizes are collected, artwork is approved, and payment or a purchase order is settled. Each of those steps can eat days on its own, especially when you're waiting on 20+ families to respond to a sizing form.

A realistic timeline looks like this:

• 6-8 weeks before you need uniforms: Contact your decorator, discuss garment and decoration options, get pricing.
• 4-6 weeks before: Finalize artwork and get final sign-off from the league, school, or sponsor if required.
• 3-5 weeks before: Collect and submit all player sizes.
• 1-2 weeks before: Production and any add-on items like bag tags or coach gear.

If your season is already underway and you're reading this while panicking about a first game in three weeks, call us anyway. We'll tell you straight whether it's realistic and what corners, if any, need to be adjusted — extra shipping cost, a simpler print, or a phased order where jerseys arrive first and warm-ups later.

Step 6: Handle sponsor logos and league requirements early

If local businesses are sponsoring your team, get their logo files (vector format, if possible) and any required placement rules well before the order deadline. Some leagues also have specific requirements around jersey colors, numbering rules, or approved vendors — check with your league office before you finalize artwork so you're not redoing work later.

This is also a good moment to think about your team store or fan gear. Parents and grandparents often want a version of the team's look for themselves — a spirit tee, a hoodie, a cap — even if they're not on the roster. Many programs, including local West Central Trojans teams, set up a simple online team store alongside the player order so fans can grab gear without adding to the coach's workload.

Step 7: Confirm the proof before production starts

Never skip the proof step, even when you're in a hurry. A digital proof should show you exact placement, colors, and any player names or numbers before a single screen is burned or a single stitch is sewn. Read it slowly. Check spelling on every name. Confirm the jersey number placement matches what the league requires (some leagues have specific size and placement rules for numbers, especially for officiating purposes).

Once you approve a proof, most shops treat that as your sign-off. Mistakes caught after production starts are much more expensive to fix than mistakes caught on a proof, so it's worth the extra ten minutes to look closely.

Step 8: Plan for distribution day

Figure out ahead of time how uniforms will get to players. Will you distribute at a practice, hand out individually bagged sets, or have a pickup window at the shop? Asking your decorator to bag and label uniforms by player name (rather than by size) saves an enormous amount of sorting on distribution day, especially for larger rosters. It's a small add-on request that pays for itself in saved time.

Step 9: Think ahead to next season

Once this season's uniforms are ordered, take five minutes to save your setup — the artwork files, the sizing spreadsheet, the ink colors used. Reordering or adding late players next season is dramatically faster if your decorator already has your team's file on hand. We keep artwork and specs on file for returning teams specifically so a repeat order doesn't mean starting from scratch.

Understanding equipment, gear bags, and accessories

Uniforms rarely stand alone. Most programs also need warm-up jackets, bags, or accessory items that carry the team look, and it pays to think through these at the same time you're ordering jerseys rather than as an afterthought a month later. Ordering everything together, even if items ship separately, keeps your artwork consistent and can simplify billing for parents or the program.

• Warm-up jackets or quarter-zips for cooler-weather sports or early-morning tournaments
• Practice tees that are lower cost than game jerseys but still carry team branding
• Duffel bags or backpacks with a team logo, often popular as an optional add-on for families
• Coach-specific gear, such as polos or pullovers that distinguish coaching staff from players

Bundling these decisions into your original planning conversation, rather than scattering separate orders throughout the season, usually saves money on setup fees and keeps turnaround predictable.

Common mistakes that slow down a uniform order

After three decades of working with coaches and team reps, we see the same handful of mistakes trip people up again and again. Watching for these ahead of time can save real time and money:

• Waiting on a few stragglers to submit sizes before sending the whole roster. A single missing size can hold up an entire batch. Set a hard internal deadline a few days before your real deadline with the decorator, and be willing to guess conservatively for a chronic non-responder rather than delay everyone.
• Assuming an old logo file will work. Artwork used for a banner or a website graphic is often too low-resolution or in the wrong file format for screen printing or embroidery. Ask early whether your logo needs to be redrawn or vectorized — this can add a few days if it's discovered late.
• Not accounting for playoff or tournament runs. If your season could extend into a tournament that needs a different design (a championship shirt, for instance), plan that possibility into your budget and timeline in advance rather than scrambling if the team advances.
• Underestimating shipping time for out-of-area orders. If you're working with a decorator outside your immediate area, ask about shipping transit time on top of production time so your total timeline is accurate.
• Skipping a written confirmation of the final order. A quick recap email listing quantities, sizes, and total cost protects both you and the shop from misunderstandings later.

Frequently asked questions

How far in advance should we order team uniforms?

Six to eight weeks before you need them in hand is a comfortable timeline that allows for artwork approval, size collection, and production. Rush timelines are sometimes possible, but they limit your options and may add cost.

What's the minimum order size for custom team uniforms?

Minimums vary by garment and decoration method, but most youth and adult team orders — even small rosters of 10-15 players — can be accommodated. Ask us directly about your specific roster size and style.

Can we mix screen printing and embroidery on the same uniform set?

Yes, and it's common. A screen printed jersey number paired with an embroidered chest logo is a typical combination that balances cost and durability.

What if a player joins the team after the order is placed?

Let us know as soon as possible. Late additions are usually possible as a small follow-up order, though they may not arrive at the exact same time as the main order and could carry a modest additional setup cost.

Do you work with teams outside of Hartford and Sioux Falls?

We ship and coordinate with teams and programs throughout South Dakota and the surrounding region, not just locally. Distance isn't a barrier to a smooth order.

If you're staring down a uniform order for the first time, or you've done this before and just want it to go smoother this season, give us a call at 605.528.7364 or email info@grocottinkandthread.com. We're at 800 S Western Ave, Ste D in Hartford, SD, and we're glad to walk through sizing, timelines, and options with you before you commit to anything.