A single sponsor can cover the cost of a season's kit — sometimes more. For grassroots clubs running on subs and cake sales, that's the difference between players buying their own shirts and the whole squad turning out in matching, professional kit at no cost to families. The trade is simple: a local business gets its logo on your shirts, and you get funded.
But turning a handshake with a sponsor into a smart, well-branded kit takes a little know-how. Put the logo in the wrong place, supply the wrong artwork, or promise more than you can deliver, and the deal can sour. This guide walks UK clubs through finding sponsors, placing logos correctly, getting artwork right and making the kit look the part.
Why kit sponsorship works for both sides
Kit sponsorship is one of the oldest and most effective forms of local advertising. For the sponsor, their brand is seen every match day — on the pitch, in the stands, in team photos, on social media and around the community for a whole season. For a few hundred pounds, that's a lot of visibility, and it comes with genuine goodwill: they're the business that backs the local team.
For your club, it's unrestricted funding you can put straight into kit, pitch hire, equipment or entry fees. It also professionalises how the team looks and feels. Players take more pride in kit that carries a proper badge and sponsor than in a plain shirt, and a smart, co-ordinated look makes recruiting new players and additional sponsors far easier next year.
How to find a kit sponsor
Most grassroots sponsors are closer than you think. Start with:
- Businesses already connected to the club — a parent's company, a player's employer, or a committee member's contacts. Warm leads convert far better than cold approaches.
- Local trades and services — builders, plumbers, estate agents, gyms, takeaways, garages and pubs. These businesses rely on local reputation and understand the value of community visibility.
- Your existing suppliers — the printer, the physio, the club shop. They already have a relationship with you.
When you approach them, be specific. Tell them exactly what they get (logo on match shirts, a mention on your socials, a banner at home games), how many players and matches that covers, and what it costs. A one-page sponsorship pack with a mock-up of the kit showing their logo in place is far more persuasive than a vague ask. If you'd like a realistic mock-up to show a prospective sponsor, we can add their logo to a kit proof before you commit to anything.
Where to put sponsor logos on team kit
Placement matters — both for impact and for any league rules. The most common and effective positions are:
- Front centre of the shirt or dress — the prime spot, usually reserved for your main sponsor. Most visible in photos and on the pitch.
- Back of the shirt, below the numbers — a strong secondary position, ideal for a second sponsor.
- Sleeves — good for smaller logos or additional partners.
- Shorts or skort — a neat spot for another sponsor without cluttering the shirt.
A good rule of thumb: one bold sponsor logo looks professional; five competing logos look like a cluttered noticeboard. If you have several sponsors, spread them across shirt, shorts and training wear rather than crowding the shirt front. For sports with positional lettering, such as netball, remember the position initials must stay clearly visible front and back — plan the sponsor placement around them, not over them.
Do check your league or governing body's regulations too. Some competitions restrict sponsor size, position, or the type of business allowed (gambling and alcohol brands are often limited, especially on youth kit).
Getting the artwork right
This is where most sponsorship kit falls down. To reproduce a logo cleanly, your kit supplier needs good artwork. Ask the sponsor for:
- A vector file (.ai, .eps or .pdf) wherever possible. Vector artwork scales to any size without going blurry — essential for print.
- A high-resolution PNG with a transparent background as a backup if no vector exists.
- Brand colours (ideally Pantone references) so the logo prints in the right shade every time.
Avoid pulling a logo off a website or a social media profile — those images are low-resolution and will look fuzzy or pixelated when printed at kit size. If a sponsor can only supply a poor-quality file, a good supplier can often redraw the logo as a clean vector for a small fee, which is well worth it.
The decoration method matters as well. Sublimation prints full-colour logos directly into the fabric with no per-colour charge, so it's ideal for detailed or multi-colour sponsor logos on performance kit. Embroidery gives a premium, textured finish that works beautifully on training tops, polos and jackets. Print (screen or DTF) suits bold logos on cotton leisurewear. Our custom embroidery service and printing options each suit different garments, and we'll advise which gives the best result for your sponsor's logo.
Make it a full range, not just a shirt
Sponsors get more value — and are more likely to renew — when their logo appears across the club, not just on the match shirt. Consider offering tiered packages: a main sponsor on the shirt front, secondary sponsors on shorts, sleeves or training wear, and smaller supporters listed on hoodies, kit bags or the club website. This lets you fund more of the club while giving each sponsor a clear, uncluttered spot.
It also helps to keep the whole range consistent. When your football kit, training tops and leisurewear all carry the same badge, colours and sponsor branding, the club looks organised and established — exactly the impression that keeps sponsors coming back.
Kit sponsorship FAQs
How much should we charge a sponsor?
For grassroots clubs, main shirt sponsorship typically ranges from a couple of hundred to a few hundred pounds a season, depending on the club's size and profile. Price it to at least cover the kit their logo goes on, then build in a margin for club funds.
Can we have more than one sponsor on the kit?
Yes — many clubs run a main sponsor on the shirt front and additional partners on the back, sleeves, shorts and training wear. Just keep it uncluttered and check any league limits.
What if the sponsor only has a low-quality logo?
Ask for a vector file first. If they can't provide one, we can usually redraw the logo as a clean, print-ready vector so it looks sharp on the kit.
Do sponsor logos wash off?
Not when they're done properly. Sublimated logos are printed into the fabric and won't crack or peel, and quality embroidery lasts the life of the garment.
Turn a sponsor into a season of kit
A well-placed sponsor logo funds your club and makes the team look the part. Get the artwork right, choose the placement carefully, and pick the decoration method that suits each garment. When you're ready, send us your club crest, sponsor artwork and colours and we'll create a free proof — so you can show your sponsor exactly how their brand will look before a single shirt is printed.
