Amateur sports are different from professional sports because they are not for profit teams that are all about having fun. You can generate some funds for an amateur sports club by selling promotional merchandise. Branded gear and clothes are also a great way to build up the team spirit and allow friends/family of the teams to show their support.
Ideas for Personalised Sports Merchandise
There are lots of different ways that you can customise merch for the amateur club. For the winter season, T-shirts may not be the way to go. Here are a few ideas for what items you could personalise for cold weather.
Logoed Team Bags
A piece of merchandise that comes in handy all year round is a bag. There are lots of different types of bags that can be personalised as well. You can add the club or team logo to the bags as well as adding the player’s names to their gym bags.
- Backpacks
- Drawstring backpacks
- Gym bags
- Canvas tote bags
Canvas tote bags are perhaps the most affordable to make. These are a great idea for items that can be sold to make extra funds for the club to invest in new equipment or pay for tournament entry fees. Gym bags and drawstring backpacks are a great piece of merchandise to distribute to the players. They will need a bag to carry their change of clothes, towels, and gear in to and from practice so why not make it a personalised bag with the team logo!
Branded Hoodies
Staying warm during practice for winter sports is easy once you get the blood pumping from exercise. Another way to stay warm is with a cozy hoodie. Everyone loves hoodies because they are casual, cozy, warm, and comfortable. The team members and fans will all love customised hoodies.
You can print the logo of the club/team on the front of the hoodie and the name of the player on the back just like a jersey, but warmer. Hoodies have more fabric than T-shirts or even sweatshirts so they may cost a little more to manufacture, but their popularity will make it worth it.
Personalised Training Shirts
Instead of a T-shirt, opt for long-sleeves for the winter. You can personalise sweatshirts and long-sleeves shirts for the team and club members to wear during the winter months. The uniform maybe a little cold to wear to every practice, so having branded long-sleeve training shirts are a great idea for winter practice sessions.
Logo & Branding Tips
If you plan on selling your logoed merchandise to fans and team members to raise funds for the team then you need to make sure that the logo that you choose is copyright free. Going on Google and picking out the first logo that you see is a bad idea. Do a little bit of digging to find copyright-free images that you can use for your logo.
You want a logo that is a crisp, clear image. Preferably the logo will be high contrast with just a few main colours. The colours of the logo should complement each other, for example: blue and orange/purple and yellow.
To get the best logo, hire a designer to come up with a custom graphic for you. You can find affordable freelance logo designers on the internet, or ask around the amateur club to see if somebody knows someone locally you will design your logo for you.
Ideas for the logo can include colours, shapes, letters, and mascots. You want the brand and logo to represent the spirit of the sports team.