How to Create Your Team's Youth Soccer Jerseys

There’s something to be said about the concept of dressing for the part. When your youth team hits the field in their custom-made soccer jerseys, you want their uniforms to look and feel good. Having custom youth soccer jerseys will give your team an air of confidence. They’re in high-quality uniforms, and truly feel that sense of identity as a winning team. The problem today is most teams order their youth soccer uniforms for their teams from the same couple of companies. These big brands lean on the same design, resulting in every uniform resembling each other, and not properly representing each team’s uniqueness. 

Podiumwear offers all youth sizes in your team’s colors and lets you customize your uniforms how you want them so your team will stand out on the field. Podiumwear is proud to make full custom uniforms that will have your team feeling as official as the professional players they look up to. What’s important when designing your youth soccer uniforms is that you know what you need and just as importantly, why you need it. 

What You Need for Your Youth Soccer Uniforms

The clothing pieces that make up a youth team’s soccer uniform, or kit, include a jersey, shorts, and socks. You don’t want your team and the opposing team showing up in the same colors, so it’s important to know that socks and jerseys of opposing teams must be of contrasting colors. If you really want to get technical, it’s common that the home team’s youth soccer jerseys be light-colored, while the away team wears dark jerseys.

Designing Your Youth Soccer Jerseys

You already know your team colors, but think about all of the design aspects you still have to decide on. Are you going to feature your team crest on the youth soccer uniforms? Depending on the team, it might not be necessary, but it does provide a very official look. The main things you need to feature on your youth soccer jerseys are the player’s last name and number on the back. This is how you’ll identify your players on the field, so it’s important that both their numbers and their name are visible from a distance.

Check with your organization’s requirements to determine printing size requirements. For example, the number size on the front of the jersey should be at least 4 inches high, 6 inches on the back.

How Number and Logo Printing Works

There are more options than you might think when printing your youth soccer team’s name and numbers on their jerseys. One option is sublimation. This is a high-tech printing process that is perfect for personalization and durability. First, a design is printed on special paper. The inks that are used turn into gas when brought under heat, then combine with the fabric and permanently dye the fabric. Think about sublimation as a tattoo on fabric, since the heat applied opens up the pores of the fabric for the ink to set into. This process is less prone to fading than other ways of printing.

Another way is through heat transfer vinyl. This process is typically quick and affordable. Names and numbers are cut out of a specialty vinyl polymer with an adhesive backing. The polymer is placed on the jersey, then applied with a hot press or iron. 

Additionally, there is the stitching process. Tried and true, this process is exactly what the name implies. Your youth soccer team’s names and numbers are sewn onto their uniforms. This is far less common in soccer due to the added weight the extra fabric provides.

Jersey Characteristics

When designing your youth soccer uniforms, you’re also going to want to consider the actual style of the jersey. There are different characteristics to choose from when it comes to neck and sleeve style options. In soccer, a crew neck style and short sleeves are most common, but there are other options for jersey styles if your youth team is interested.

A popular neckline style for youth soccer uniforms is a crewneck. This neckline style is a classic look and it’s comfortable. For sleeve styles, it’s a good idea to go with short sleeves. They allow for flexibility and mobility, and comfort. Not to mention, they also allow for airflow and keeping your players cool.

Goalkeeper Jerseys

In soccer, all the players on a team wear the same uniform, except the goalkeeper. The goalkeeper, or the keeper, wear different colors than the rest of his or her teammates to distinguish themselves from their teammates who play the rest of the field. Because of this, you’re also going to have to consider a separate youth goalie uniform when creating your youth team’s soccer uniforms.

It’s also standard to wear a different uniform for away games. Like we mentioned above, the away team usually wears dark colors. This will mean ordering another set of youth team soccer uniforms. 

Considerations for Shorts and Socks

Shorts and socks are critical pieces of your youth team’s soccer uniforms. However, their requirements are typically more relaxed than the ones for jerseys. It’s common for both the shorts and socks to be the same color that the jerseys are primarily, but not always. If your youth soccer team wants to mix up their uniforms a little, the shorts and socks can be a different color from the jerseys. All that’s usually required is that each player’s socks and shorts match. Shorts with team crest and player number add a professional touch and make it easier to ID your players.

Other Gear For Your Team

Once you have your youth soccer uniforms sorted, it’s time to consider the extras. Training, or warm-up jackets and pants are very popular for teams that travel together for away games. These sets give your team a very official, cohesive team look, and they’re great for other reasons, too. Apart from identifying who your team is, training jacket and pant sets provide comfort and warmth while your team warms up on the field. The fabrics used to make these training jackets and pants are breathable and lightweight, so they don’t inhibit playing abilities

Design to Defeat

At Podiumwear, we offer field jerseys, keeper jerseys, shorts, training jackets, pants, socks and more. We also proudly offer different levels of customization options, based on your youth team’s soccer uniform needs. Our customizable apparel means your unique design will be designed, printed, sublimated and sewn together all within our St. Paul factory by a team of experienced professionals. 

Get in touch with Podiumwear today for a free design mock-up for your youth soccer uniforms. If you’re ready to create your own kit, create an account and start your team’s order.