Ordering rugby kit is not the same job as ordering football kit, and clubs that treat it the same way usually find out the hard way — around October, when the crests start lifting off the shirts.
Rugby is a contact sport played in British weather. The kit takes grabbing, pulling, studs, mud and hot washes every week. The decisions that matter are different, and most of them get made before anyone picks a colour.
Quick answer: To order custom rugby kit, decide first whether you want tight-fit (bodyfit) or loose-fit shirts, because that determines which decoration will last. Then confirm your code (union numbers 1–15, league 1–13), gather your crest and sponsor artwork, run a sizing session with a size set, and place your squad order 6–8 weeks before your first fixture. At CentralCustom there is no minimum order, quotes come back within one working day, you get a free digital proof before anything is made, and kit is typically dispatched 7–14 working days after you approve it.
Step 1: Decide tight-fit or loose-fit — this decision comes first
This is the single most consequential choice, and it is the one most clubs skip.
Tight-fit (bodyfit) shirts are the modern performance cut: heavily elasticated technical fabric, close to the body, hard for an opponent to grab. Most senior and competitive sides wear them. The catch is that the fabric stretches in every direction, and that rules out some decoration — embroidery on a four-way stretch panel puckers, and the stitching fights the fabric every time it is pulled.
Loose-fit (traditional) shirts are the classic cut in heavier cotton-rich or poly-cotton fabric. Roomier, more forgiving across a mixed squad, and far more tolerant of decoration — embroidery sits flat and lasts. Popular with minis and juniors, social and veterans sides, touring teams and alumni fixtures.
A useful rule: if the shirt has to survive being grabbed at senior level, go tight-fit and decorate with sublimation or heat transfer. If comfort, sizing tolerance and a premium embroidered crest matter more, go loose-fit.
Many clubs run both — tight-fit for the first XV, loose-fit for minis and socials — which is entirely normal and can be ordered together.
Step 2: Pick decoration that survives contact
Decoration on rugby kit fails in predictable places: the crest edge, the number corners, and anything sitting on a seam.
- Dye-sublimation dyes the colour into the fabric rather than sitting on top, so there is nothing to crack, peel or fade. For tight-fit technical shirts and full-colour designs it is the most durable option, and it is what we would normally recommend for a match strip. See our dye-sublimation printing page for how it works.
- Heat transfer and vinyl is ideal for numbers and player names, including on stretch fabric. It is also the practical route for mid-season additions, because you are not re-running a whole print set for one new signing.
- Embroidery gives the best-looking club crest by a distance, and is the right call on loose-fit shirts, training tops, fleeces, polos and tracksuits. Just be realistic about putting it on heavily elasticated match jerseys. Our embroidery page covers what works where.
You do not have to pick one. A typical club order is a sublimated match shirt, heat-transferred numbers, and an embroidered crest on the training and travel wear.
Step 3: Get the code and the numbering right
Rugby union runs 1–15 for the starting XV with replacements from 16 up. Rugby league runs 1–13. Numbers usually go on the back, and at senior level a smaller number often goes on the shorts as well.
Positions are tied to numbers in rugby in a way they are not in football, so ordering "two number 9s" has a real consequence for the squad. If you are working out what to order for whom, our guide to rugby shirt numbers and positions 1–15 breaks down every role.
Names, initials and nicknames can sit above the number. Sponsor logos go on the chest, sleeve or back panel — check your league's regulations on placement and size before you commit, and read our guide to adding sponsor logos to team kit if you are selling the space.
Step 4: Work out what you are actually buying
Clubs usually order in three layers, and quotes go wrong when these get mixed up:
- Match kit — home jersey, shorts, socks.
- Clash or away strip — most leagues require one where colours are too close to an opponent's. A second set in a contrasting colour prevents a last-minute scramble.
- Training and travel wear — training tops, base layers, mid-layers, rain jackets, tracksuits, hoodies and kit bags. This is what the squad wears most weeks and it is where most clubs underspend. Our custom training wear and club tracksuits range covers it.
Scrum caps, headguards and protective kit are usually bought by the individual player rather than the club, so leave them out of the squad order unless you are deliberately funding them.
Step 5: Size the squad properly before you order
Junior sizing is where club kit orders go wrong most often, and rugby makes it worse because a performance-fit jersey runs smaller than the school polo a player's parent used as a reference.
Run one fitting night with a size set before the order goes in. It takes a single training session and it prevents the reorder that costs you three weeks. Ask us to keep your size grid on file and next season takes minutes. Our guide to junior team kit sizing covers how to run one.
Step 6: Order at the right time
The practical rule for UK rugby: place your main squad order 6–8 weeks before your first fixture. For a September season start, that means ordering in July.
Leave it later and you are not waiting on production so much as on decisions — chasing a committee for a crest file, or a sponsor for a logo in the right format. Artwork is almost always the bottleneck, not manufacturing. Getting your logo into a usable format early is the cheapest thing you can do to protect the timeline; our guide on preparing your logo for embroidery and printing explains what we need.
Mid-season reorders are much quicker, because your artwork is already set up and kept on file.
What custom rugby kit costs
Cost is driven by four things: the garment tier, the number of decoration positions, the number of colours in your design, and quantity.
Sublimated full-colour match shirts sit above plain shirts with a printed crest, because the whole garment is produced to your design. Every extra decoration position — chest crest, back number, shorts number, two sleeve sponsors — adds cost. Ordering the whole squad together is meaningfully cheaper per unit than drip-feeding sets across a season.
There is no minimum order, so a club can order a full squad set or three replacement shirts. Send your colours, crest and rough numbers and we will quote within one working day.
Frequently asked questions
Can I create my own rugby kit?
Yes. Send us your club colours, crest and any sponsor logos and we will build the design for you and return a free digital proof before anything is produced. You do not need design software or artwork skills.
How can I create a custom rugby jersey?
Choose your garment and fit, tell us your colours and where you want the crest, numbers and sponsors, and approve the digital proof we send back. Production follows proof approval, typically dispatching 7–14 working days later.
Where can I find a personalised rugby shirt for my child?
We produce mini, junior and youth sizes, and there is no minimum order, so a single personalised shirt with a name and number is fine — you do not need to be ordering for a whole club.
Do you make both rugby union and rugby league kit?
Yes, including union, league, sevens, touch, tag and walking rugby, and the different numbering conventions each code uses.
Is there a minimum order?
No. Order a full squad set or one replacement shirt for a new signing.
How long does it take?
Typically 7–14 working days from proof approval to dispatch. Larger squad orders and complex sublimated designs can take longer, so build in slack before a season opener.
Ready to kit out your club?
Browse our custom rugby kit range, see the full teamwear collection and our teamwear services, or get in touch with your colours and crest and we will come back with a quote within one working day.
