When to Order Practice Gear: A Coach's Season Timeline
Order Early, Practice Happy
Every season, somewhere, a team runs its first three weeks of practice in mismatched shirts because the gear order started too late. Custom decoration takes real production time — artwork approval, printing, and shipping all happen before a single box arrives. Here's the timeline that keeps your program ahead of it.
The Working-Backward Rule
Start from your first practice date and work backward. As a rule of thumb, give a custom practice gear order 3–4 weeks of runway: time for us to review your program, send mockups, get your approval, produce the order and ship it. Bigger orders and busier seasons need the longer end of that range.
Season-by-Season Ordering Windows (Ohio & Midwest Calendars)
Fall sports — football, soccer, volleyball, cross country
First practices typically start around August 1. That makes late June and July your ordering window. If it's July and you haven't ordered, start today — literally today.
Winter sports — basketball, wrestling, swim & dive
Practices generally begin late October into November. Order in September or early October, right as fall season settles into rhythm.
Spring sports — baseball, softball, track, lacrosse
Practices start late February into March — which sneaks up on everyone because it's mid-winter. Order in January.
Summer programs, camps & travel teams
Camp and travel schedules vary, but the rule holds: count back 3–4 weeks from day one, then add a week of cushion because summer addresses and rosters change.
What Slows Orders Down (and How to Avoid It)
- Artwork back-and-forth — have your logo files ready, or tell us early that you need design help. We'll send mockups for approval before anything prints.
- Roster and size chaos — the classic clipboard problem. Tell us your program and we handle collection the modern way: get my team's practice gear.
- Deciding late on quantities — a rough count today beats a perfect count next week. We build in room to adjust before production.
It's Not Too Late — But It's Close
Tell us your sport, your colors and your first practice date. A real person reviews every request and replies within one business day with a plan — no sales call required.
Questions first? Send us a note.