The complete guide to custom activewear & team uniforms.

Why custom activewear works

Nothing signals a real team like matching gear. Custom activewear takes a group of players, a PE class, or a gym community and makes them look organized, legitimate, and bought-in — the same reason pro clubs and college programs invest in their kit. It's worn hard and worn often: at practice, on game day, in the weight room, and out in the world as everyday spirit wear that markets your program for free.

Three choices shape the result: the performance fabric (moisture management is everything in athletic wear), the decoration method (100% polyester decorates very differently than cotton — it opens the door to dye-sublimation), and the style and fit. Get them right and you have gear that performs, holds crisp numbers all season, and looks like a real uniform. Every piece is decorated in-house here in Coatesville, PA.

Activewear fabrics & performance knits: poly, mesh, reversible & jersey

Athletic gear lives and dies by moisture management. Moisture-wicking 100% polyester pulls sweat off the skin and spreads it across the surface so it evaporates fast, which is why performance shorts and tees run on it. Where breathability matters most, an open mesh moves the most air; where durability matters most, a heavier poly build takes the hits. The fabric also decides your decoration options — and light 100% polyester is the only thing dye-sublimation can print.

• Performance poly (B-Core) is a lightweight 100% polyester knit that wicks sweat and dries fast — the everyday choice for shorts and training tees.
• Open mesh is a knit with open holes for maximum airflow — the coolest option for hot days and heavy-sweat sports.
• Reversible is a double-faced mesh with a different color on each side — two looks in one garment for scrimmages and rec leagues.
• Game jersey is a heavier, durable poly built to survive contact and a full season of practice.
• Sublimation-ready poly is a smooth, light 100% polyester made to take all-over dye-sublimated graphics.

Warm-up layers round out a program — soft joggers & sweatpants for the sideline and spirit wear, alongside athletic shorts for practice and the gym and sports jerseys for game day.

How custom activewear is decorated: dye-sublimation, screen print & DTF

Method matters most on athletic poly. Dye-sublimation is unbeatable on light 100% polyester — it dyes the fabric itself for all-over patterns, names, and numbers that never crack or peel. Screen printing is the most economical route for bold logos across a big roster, and DTF handles full-color, detailed art on any fabric with no minimum. The fabric drives the choice, and for anything cotton or dark we reach for DTF.

Dye-sublimation turns dye into a gas that bonds permanently inside polyester fiber, so the graphic becomes part of the fabric — there's nothing on top to crack, peel, or fade. It's the reason team names and numbers on poly jerseys last for seasons. It only works on light-colored fabric that's at least 65% polyester, so it won't bond to cotton or to dark garments.

Screen printing lays durable, opaque ink and is the most economical route for a bold logo across a big roster — best per-piece pricing starts around 24 pieces. It's happiest on flat, stable panels like a jersey chest or a short's leg.

DTF (direct-to-film) prints full color with no minimum and presses cleanly onto poly, cotton, and blends alike — the safe choice for dark jerseys, mixed rosters, or small-batch gym drops. On synthetics we press at a lower temperature so the film bonds without dye migration, typically holding 50–60 washes.

You'll also hear about direct-to-garment (DTG), which sprays ink into cotton fibers — it's built for flat, high-cotton tees, not the performance poly most activewear uses. We don't run DTG; for full-color detail on athletic fabrics we use DTF, and for all-over poly graphics we use dye-sublimation. Not sure which method fits your team? Send us the blank and your artwork and we'll recommend the best one.

Numbers, names & logo placement

Team gear has its own placement language. The front of a jersey carries either a large center number — roughly 6–10 inches tall — or a left-chest logo about 3.5–4 inches wide. The back carries the player's name across the shoulders with a large number below it. Sleeves take a small logo or sponsor mark, and shorts take a logo or number on the hip or lower leg.

• Front: a big center number (~6–10 in tall) or a left-chest logo (~3.5–4 in wide), on a flat panel.
• Back: the player name across the shoulders with a large number below it.
• Sleeve: a small logo, sponsor, or number, about 2–3 in.
• Shorts: a logo or number on the hip or lower leg.
• Names & numbers: dye-sublimated into poly so they never crack or peel — and each jersey is set up individually from your roster.

On light 100% polyester, dye-sublimation removes placement limits entirely — the design can cover the whole panel, edge to edge, because it's dyed into the fabric rather than pressed on top.

Choosing the right activewear for your program

Match the gear to the activity and the roster. Practice and gym programs want fast-drying shorts and tees; game-day teams want durable jerseys that take numbers cleanly; scrimmage-heavy rec leagues love reversibles; and every program needs warm-up layers for the sideline. Start with the piece the sport calls for, then lock in the fit for the whole roster.

Pick by fabric & performance

For sweat-heavy practice, moisture-wicking B-Core builds like the Badger 4107 B-Core Shorts and the Badger 4144 B-Core Tee wick and dry fast. When breathability wins, the open-mesh Badger 7207 Pro Mesh Shorts move the most air. For contact and game day, the heavy-duty Alleson 750E Football Jersey holds up, while the sublimation-friendly Augusta 6907 Cutter Jersey shines for full-team graphics.

Pick by style & fit

Reversible builds like the Alleson 560R Reversible Mesh Tank give you two looks in one for scrimmages. Once you've settled on the pieces, shop by fit: men's activewear or an easy-to-order unisex cut for mixed groups where you want one style across everyone.

Ordering, turnaround & cost

Pricing depends on the garment, quantity, number of print colors, and method — larger team orders lower the per-piece cost, and setup is always included, with no surprise fees. Standard turnaround is about 6 business days after art approval, and many items ship in 1–2 days; rush production is often available when you're up against a game or season deadline.

You can also supply your own blanks — just check compatibility with us first, since dye-sublimation needs light 100% polyester while DTF and screen printing work on most athletic fabrics. Request a free quote for exact numbers on your roster and design.