Custom Football Kits Manufacturer Guide: How to Order Well
How to order from a custom football kits manufacturer: what to put in the brief, how Law 4 shapes colours, typical sample and bulk lead times, and why a physical sample comes before bulk production.
By the Oversky International team
To order from a custom football kits manufacturer, list every garment you need, send one brief with sizes, quantities, crest files and sponsor positions, then approve a physical sample before bulk production starts. At Oversky International most designs start at 50 pieces per style and colour, samples usually leave in 7-10 working days and bulk typically follows in 4-6 weeks.
What should a football kit order include?
A complete order covers every garment the squad will wear on match day and in training, briefed one by one. Clubs that brief only "the kit" often discover later that goalkeeper shirts, socks or travel wear were never specified.
The IFAB Laws of the Game set the minimum. Law 4 (The FA's 2026/27 edition) lists five compulsory items: a shirt with sleeves, shorts, socks, shinguards and footwear. A manufacturer supplies the first three; the rest of your list depends on how the club operates. A typical brief looks like this:
| Garment | What to specify | Common extras |
|---|---|---|
| Outfield shirt | Cut (regular or slim), sleeve length, collar, fabric | Player names and numbers, sponsor logos |
| Shorts | Length, waistband, inner brief or not | Numbers on the leg |
| Socks | Length, foot construction, colour bands | Turn-over contrast |
| Goalkeeper kit | Separate colourway, padded or unpadded | Long sleeves, goalkeeper trousers |
| Training wear | Tops, quarter-zips, bibs | Initials for kit management |
| Travel and warm-up | Jackets, tracksuits, rain jackets | Embroidered crest |
Our football teamwear range covers match kits, goalkeeper kits and training wear, so the whole list can be sampled and produced together.
How do the rules affect the design?
The rules mainly govern colour contrast. Law 4 says the two teams must wear colours that distinguish them from each other and from the match officials, and each goalkeeper must wear colours that distinguish them from the other players and the officials.
In practice, that means three decisions before artwork starts:
- Home and away colourways that do not clash with the main rivals in your league.
- A goalkeeper colourway clearly different from both outfield kits. Many clubs order two goalkeeper colours for the same reason.
- Undershirts and base layers in the main colour of the shirt sleeve. The FA's text of Law 4 requires undershirts to match the main sleeve colour or replicate its pattern, so order them alongside the shirts.
Leagues and competitions also publish their own kit rules covering numbers, names and sponsor sizes. Check your competition handbook and send it with the brief.
What information does the manufacturer need from you?
A manufacturer needs enough detail to make a sample without guessing. A short, complete brief saves more time than any other step, because every missing detail becomes an email and a delay.
Send these with your enquiry:
- Garment list from the table above, with quantities per garment.
- Size breakdown per garment, including junior sizes if you run age-group teams.
- Artwork: crest and sponsor files in vector format (AI, EPS, PDF or SVG), with Pantone references where colours must match exactly.
- Placement: where each crest, sponsor and number sits, and how large it is.
- Decoration method: sublimated, heat-applied, embroidered or a mix.
- Fabric preference, if you have one, or the conditions the kit is used in.
- Delivery country and date the kit is needed by.
If you are still settling on colours, our Team Kit Designer lets you try layouts and colourways before you brief. For fabric choices, our fabric guide explains the mesh, interlock and knit families used in football shirts.
How long does it take to get custom football kits?
From first brief to dispatch, plan for roughly seven to nine weeks. The sample stage is short; the bulk run is the longest part, and it only starts once the sample is approved and the deposit is paid.
| Stage | Typical time at Oversky |
|---|---|
| Brief | 1 day |
| Confirm specification | 2-3 days |
| Sample | 7-10 working days once artwork, measurements and materials are confirmed |
| Sample approval and 30% deposit | Depends on your feedback |
| Bulk production | 4-6 weeks |
| Final inspection and dispatch | Before shipping by air or sea |
Shipping time comes on top. Air is faster; sea costs less for large volumes. Count backwards from the first match, add a margin for feedback rounds, and brief early in the off-season.
Why approve a physical sample first?
A physical sample is the only reliable way to check fit, colour and decoration before the whole order is made. Screens show colours differently, and sizing on paper never feels the same as a shirt on a player.
When the sample arrives, check:
- Fit on two or three players of different builds, not just one.
- Colour in daylight against your Pantone references and last season's kit.
- Decoration: crest position, sponsor size, number height and edge quality.
- Comfort: neck opening, sleeve length and shorts waistband.
- Labels: size labels and care labels correct for your country. In Great Britain, for example, textile labelling rules require fibre composition to be shown using approved fibre names.
Every Oversky order is confirmed against an approved sample before it ships, and our in-line and final inspections check measurements, print placement and colour consistency across the batch against that sample.
How many kits do you need to order?
Most designs at Oversky start at 50 pieces per style and colour. A squad of 20 players with home and away shirts usually fits that comfortably once training wear and spares are counted.
Smaller trial runs can be quoted for repeat customers or simple constructions. To plan quantities, take the registered squad size, add spares for new signings and damaged shirts, and break the total down by size. Our post on sportswear minimum order quantities explains how the 50-piece starting point works across styles and colours.
Frequently asked questions
Can we mix sizes within one football kit order?
Yes. The minimum applies per style and colour, not per size, so a run of 50 home shirts can be split across adult and junior sizes. Send a size breakdown with your brief so the sample and bulk run follow the same graded pattern and the size labels match each player.
Should football kits be sublimated or printed?
Most modern football shirts are polyester and sublimated, because the design goes into the fabric and will not crack or peel. Names and numbers can be sublimated or heat-applied. Our sublimation vs screen printing guide compares the methods by fabric, colours and quantity.
Do you make goalkeeper kits and training wear in the same order?
Yes. Goalkeeper kits, training tops, bibs and travel wear can be briefed, sampled and produced alongside the match kit. Each garment and colourway is counted as its own style for the minimum, so list them separately in your brief with their own size breakdowns.
Do you ship football kits outside Pakistan?
Yes. We ship by air or sea to your forwarder or to your door, with customs documents prepared. We serve buyers in Europe, North America and the Middle East. Tell us the delivery country at the brief stage so labels and paperwork suit that market.
What to do next
Gather your garment list, size breakdown and crest files, then send them through the quote form on our homepage. We reply to quote requests within one business day and will confirm the specification and sample timing for your club.