Pre-Season Planning: Take The Stress Out Of Club Uniform Ordering

The pre-season period is important for everyone involved in a community sports club. The downtime gives officials and players the chance to rest and plan for the sporting year ahead. The pre-season is also a crucial time for committee members to begin organising for the next season. From stocktakes, equipment and facilities reviews, playing and training uniform design updates, and planning for grant applications, the pre-season period is valuable for everyone involved in community sport. 

With the 2023 winter sports season now wrapped up, we are encouraging all clubs to start planning what needs to be done in pre-season to ensure a smooth transition into 2024. A critical part of this planning will be ordering club uniforms and equipment. We recommend starting to coordinate with your committee members to organise club uniforms as soon as possible, to allow for kits to arrive in time for the season start. 

When it comes to ordering club uniforms, we want to reduce your stress levels for the next season, so we’ve created a list of recommended topics for you to discuss at your next committee meeting. 

Confirm Club Sponsors 

This is critical if you are offering logo placements on your sports kits. Offer early-bird sponsorship benefits, to encourage sponsors to sign-on before club uniform orders are due. 

TIP: While individual team sponsors can drive extra revenue, it usually requires more time and effort from the uniform coordinator. If you’re looking to for a simple solution to club sponsors, offer smaller logos across all your uniforms. 

Finalise The Range 

Another important step in pre-season planning is finalising your club apparel range for the season. This includes playing, training, coaches, umpires, supporters and merchandise wear. Your committee may spend time deliberating over design elements, colours schemes and fabric options, but it is also important to understand exactly what items your club plans to provide for the season.  

Custom uniforms are made-to-order so purchasing extra items at the last minute is difficult if your original order was not the right quantity. It is always better to add a few extra items to your order to allow for additional players and changes in sizes throughout the year. Top up orders can be placed at any time but please remember the production time will be the same as previous orders. It is essential to double check and run through your order quantities with the club committee before the final submission.  

Get The Timing Right 

To ensure your club uniform is ready ahead of the new season, order as early as possible. Keep in mind these handy tips:  

• It is better to have the sizing mix a little bit out, than having no uniforms when the season starts. Top-up orders are inevitable.  
• Sizes that run over or under are common and sorted with small top-up orders after the season commences.   
• It can be very stressful dealing with parents, players and the rest of committee when there’s no uniforms to wear when games start. Order early! 

Keep An Eye-Out For Pre-Season Promotions 

Take advantage of the pre-season specials are available from KPI Sports or your current supplier. This can help in reducing the costs of uniform purchases by up to 30%. Make sure to read the fine print and understand what is being offered and what is not.   

Ordering early will avoid unnecessary stresses and ensure your season begins seamlessly. Be sure to discuss your ordering timeframes at the next committee meeting and Contact KPI Sports with additional concerns or questions.