If you have been handed the job of organising sports day, the t-shirts are usually the task that causes the most quiet panic. Thirty children per class, four house colours, sizes that change every term and a delivery deadline that absolutely cannot slip. The good news: with a sensible timeline and a few decisions made early, ordering sports day t-shirts is one of the easier jobs on your list. This guide walks through the whole process, from picking house colours to what to do when a shirt doesn't fit on the morning of the event.
Start with the date and work backwards
Everything else flows from your sports day date. A realistic timeline for a whole-school order looks like this:
6 weeks out — decide what you are ordering (tees only, or staff kit too), gather rough numbers per house, and request quotes.
5 weeks out — confirm your supplier, agree the design and colours, and send size letters home or run sizing checks in PE lessons.
4 weeks out — return final sizes and quantities. This is the point at which a good supplier will commit to a delivery date.
1–2 weeks out — shirts arrive. Check the delivery against your order while there is still time to fix anything.
Smaller orders — one year group, or staff shirts only — can run on a tighter three-week schedule, but whole-school orders need that extra breathing room for size collection, which is always the slowest step.
Choosing house colours that work
Most UK schools run red, blue, green and yellow houses, and garment ranges support those four superbly. If your houses use less common colours — purple, orange, or a specific shade tied to a house name — ask your supplier for the closest available garment colours before you promise anything to pupils. A photo or physical sample resolves debates quickly.
Two practical tips. First, avoid putting white text on yellow shirts or dark text on navy — contrast matters when names need to be readable from the finish line. Second, around one in twelve boys has some form of colour-vision deficiency, so where possible add the house name in print rather than relying on colour alone. It is a small touch that makes the day easier for everyone.
Collecting sizes without the headache
Size collection is where sports day orders go wrong, so keep it simple:
- Use age-based size bands for primary pupils (3–4, 5–6, 7–8, 9–11, 12–13) rather than chest measurements. Parents answer faster and more accurately.
- Run a try-on session if your supplier can provide a sizing set — ten minutes in a PE lesson beats a hundred guesses.
- Set a hard deadline for size returns, and order the most common size for anyone who misses it. Waiting for stragglers is how whole orders end up late.
- Add spares. Two or three extra shirts per house in mid-range sizes will cover new starters, lost shirts and the inevitable surprise growth spurt.
For a fuller breakdown of garment measurements, our size guide covers children's and adult ranges.
Print options explained
Screen printing is the workhorse for house tees: one- or two-colour designs, very durable, and the most cost-effective at class and whole-school quantities. If your design is a house name and a simple emblem, this is usually the right answer.
DTF (direct-to-film) printing handles full-colour designs — school crests with gradients, multi-colour mascots — and works well at smaller quantities. It is ideal when each house wants its own detailed badge.
Embroidery is better saved for staff polos and kit that will be worn all year. It looks smart but costs more per garment, and a stitched badge isn't necessary on a pupil's house tee.
You can see how each method works on our printing services page.
What schools typically spend
Budgets vary with quantity, garment quality and personalisation, but the broad rules hold everywhere: plain-colour tees with a single shared print are the cheapest per shirt; per-pupil names add cost and lead time; and unit prices drop meaningfully as quantities rise, so one whole-school order nearly always beats four separate house orders. Many schools fund shirts through the PTA or ask for a small parental contribution, and because house tees double as PE kit, plenty of schools treat them as a two-for-one purchase — worth raising when the budget conversation happens.
Don't forget the staff
A sports day runs on adults who can be spotted at a distance. Brightly coloured staff tees printed with STAFF or MARSHAL, a few hi-vis vests for the car park and finish line, and polos for visiting judges all make the day run more smoothly — and they come out of the same print run as the pupils' shirts, so the setup cost is shared. If staff kit is on your list, look at our custom schoolwear range alongside the pupil order.
Your sports day kit checklist
- Sports day date confirmed and shared with your supplier
- House colours agreed and garment colours matched
- Design signed off (house name readable at distance)
- Sizes collected with a hard deadline
- Spares added in common sizes
- Staff and marshal kit included
- Delivery date agreed in writing, at least a week before the event
- Delivery checked against the order on arrival
Frequently asked questions
Can pupils keep their shirts after sports day?
That is up to the school — most treat them as part of PE kit so they are reused. If parents are paying, shirts usually go home with pupils.
What happens if a shirt doesn't fit on the day?
This is what the spares are for. Swap and move on; sizes can be tidied up afterwards.
Can we reuse the same design next year?
Yes — and it saves money. Once your design is set up, repeat orders skip the setup work, which is a good reason to avoid printing the year on house tees.
Is it too late to order for a July sports day?
Probably not, but move quickly. A simple design on stocked garments can often be turned around in two to three weeks — contact us with your date and we will tell you honestly whether it is achievable.
Sports day t-shirts are one of those jobs that rewards starting early and keeping decisions simple: four colours, one design, sizes collected once. Get those right and the only thing left to worry about is the weather.
