Every September the same thing happens: clubs restart, societies recruit, coaching blocks begin — and three weeks in, someone finally asks about kit. By then the new intake has been photographed in fifteen different outfits and the moment where branded kit does its best work has already gone.
The clubs that look organised in September are the ones ordering in August. Here's how to be one of them.
Why the first session matters most
Kit does two jobs at a restart. It makes new members feel they've joined something real — a person handed a club tee at their first session behaves like a member, not a visitor. And it makes your photos consistent from day one, which matters because September is when clubs post their heaviest recruitment content.
What clubs actually need — a realistic list
- Coaches and committee first. Even if members buy their own later, the people running sessions need to be identifiable from across a field or a hall. A dozen polos or tees for the leadership team is the highest-value order a club can place.
- A members' tee at a joinable price. Keep it simple: club colour, one strong print. Complexity adds cost and slows reorders.
- Caps and beanies for outdoor groups. Small spend, high visibility in every photo — see our headwear range.
- A welcome item for new joiners if budget allows — a bottle or tote turns signup day into something people keep.
Sizing without the headache
Don't collect sizes one by one over a group chat — it stalls every club order. Order a sensible spread instead: for a typical adult mixed group, S/M/L/XL in roughly 1:2:2:1 with a couple of XXL. For committee kit, ask directly — it's a dozen people, not a census. And always order the 15–20% overage; the member who joins in October will want the same tee.
Decoration that survives a season
Club kit gets washed hard and often. For crests and multi-colour badges, DTF print with its white underbase holds colour on dark garments wash after wash; for a simple initial mark on polos, embroidery lasts the life of the garment. If your crest has fine detail, get it checked at proof stage — we do this on every order before anything is pressed.
The timing maths
Artwork approval to delivery is typically 5–10 working days. Add a few days for the committee to agree the design and collect numbers, and an order started in mid-August lands comfortably before the first September session. An order started in mid-September lands in October — after the photos, after the recruitment push, after the moment.
Start with a picture, not a meeting
Club decisions stall in committee. The fastest way through is to put a picture in the group chat: send us your crest and we'll mock it up on a tee, polo and cap — free — so the committee is approving something it can see. Kit conversations that start with a mock-up finish in days; the ones that start with a discussion about hex codes are still going at Christmas.