2Reds Blog
CLUB GUIDE · CUSTOM TEAMWEAR AUSTRALIA
• 14 min read
Custom Teamwear for Every Sport: The2Reds Australian Club Guide
Australia is one of the most sports-mad countries on the planet. On any given weekend, millions of Australians pull on a jersey and take to an oval, a court, a fairway or a pitch. But not all custom teamwear is created equal. What works for a cricket club in summer looks very different to what a netball squad needs, or what a corporate golf day requires.
This guide breaks down custom sports apparel sport by sport. What to look for, what to avoid, and what separates a well-made kit from one that lets your club down by round three of the season. Whether you’re a club administrator ordering for the first time or a committee member reviewing your current supplier, this is the reference you need.
★ | All sports listed in this guide can be designed and ordered through the 2Reds online kit builder. |
Cricket
Cricket is one of the most technically demanding sports when it comes to custom uniforms. A club’s playing kit needs to perform across long days in full sun, come in both short-sleeve and long-sleeve versions for different conditions, and hold up through a full season of use. Get it wrong and you’re replacing kit mid-season. Get it right and your players look and feel the part from first ball to last.
What to include in a custom cricket uniform order:
What makes a great cricket shirt:
Custom cricket uniforms benefit enormously from sublimation printing. Cricket shirts with their colour panels, contrast sleeves and tonal patterns are simply not suited to screen printing, which can’t reproduce the complexity cleanly and will crack and fade over a season. Sublimation dye becomes part of the fabric, meaning your cricket shirts look as vibrant in game 20 as they did on opening day.
Fabric choice matters too. Look for a moisture-wicking polyester specifically designed for outdoor endurance sport, cricket involves long periods of standing in full sun, and a fabric that traps heat or doesn’t breathe will affect performance and comfort significantly.
Finally, pay attention to construction details: reinforced seams, a proper placket collar (not a basic V-neck), and correct shirt length are the marks of a custom cricket uniform made by someone who actually understands cricket, not a generic jersey supplier who lists cricket as one of fifty sports they cover.
★ | 2Reds started as a cricket and rugby clothing supplier. Custom cricket uniforms are one of our core specialties. Design your own here. |
Netball
Netball is one of Australia’s highest participation sports, with hundreds of thousands of players competing at club, school and representative levels each year. Custom netball uniforms need to handle fast, multi-directional movement while fitting well across a diverse range of body types which makes fabric selection and garment construction particularly important.
What to include in a custom netball uniform order:
What makes a great netball kit:
The biggest decision in netball apparel is dress versus two-piece. Traditional dress styles are still the most common at club level, but two-piece crop top and skort combinations are increasingly popular, particularly with younger players and at higher competition levels. Ideally, offer your players both options in the same design so the team looks unified regardless of which style each player chooses.
Custom netball uniforms should use a compression-grade or performance stretch fabric.Netball involves constant jumping, lateral movement and sudden direction changes, and a garment that restricts movement will affect how players feel on court. Sublimation printing is ideal because it works with stretch fabrics without cracking, peeling or limiting the fabric’s natural give.
One practical tip: order a sizing sample from your supplier before committing to a full squad order. Netball uniforms need to fit well to look and perform their best and sizing can vary significantly between suppliers and fabric types.
Golf
Custom golf shirts occupy a unique space in the world of custom sports apparel they need to perform on the course while remaining presentable enough for the clubhouse, the 19th hole, and the prize-giving. They’re also one of the most common requests for corporate events, charity days, pro-am tournaments and club fundraisers, which means the brief is often slightly different to a traditional team sport uniform order.
What to include in a custom golf apparel order:
What makes a great custom golf shirt:
Performance is non-negotiable. Custom golf shirts should offer UV protection (UPF50+ is the benchmark for outdoor sport in Australia), moisture management to handle warm rounds, and unrestricted shoulder and arm movement for a full swing. A polo that looks good on the rack but restricts movement through the backswing is not a golf shirt, it’s a regular polo being sold to golfers.
For corporate events and club days, logo placement and size are important considerations. Many event sponsors have requirements about minimum logo dimensions on the chest or sleeve. If you’re ordering custom sports shirts for a tournament, clarify these requirements with your sponsor before your design is finalised, making changes after production has started is costly and time-consuming.
Embroidery is a popular choice for golf polos. It gives a premium, structured finish that suits the aesthetic of the sport. For more complex designs or colour panels, sublimation printing is the better option. Many clubs use a combination: sublimation for the base design of the polo, embroidery for the club crest.
★ | Design custom golf shirts for your club, society or corporate event with the 2Reds kit creator. Design your own here. |
AFL & Australian Football
AFL is Australia’s game, and custom AFL jerseys are a serious business. From grassroots junior clubs to amateur competitions, the expectation is a proper football guernsey, not a generic jersey adapted from another sport. Durability is the primary concern: AFL is a high-contact sport and kit gets put through its paces every week of the season.
What to include in a custom AFL kit order:
What makes a great AFL guernsey:
AFL guernseys should be made from a heavier-weight performance polyester than you’d use for, say, a soccer jersey, the fabric needs to withstand grabbing, pulling and the general physical demands of the game without stretching out of shape or tearing at the seams. Reinforced stitching at high-stress points (underarms, shoulder seams) is a must.
Full sublimation is the standard for custom AFL teamwear, it handles the complex hoops, chevrons and colour-blocking of traditional Australian football designs better than any other printing method. The design flexibility is also important: AFL clubs take their colours and guernsey designs seriously, and your supplier needs to be able to reproduce yours accurately.
Rugby League & Rugby Union
Rugby is close to 2Reds’ roots. We started as a cricket and rugby clothing supplier and have been making custom rugby teamwear for over a decade. Both codes have their own conventions, and while the differences in jersey design between league and union are subtle, they matter to players and supporters who know the sport.
What to include in a custom rugby kit order:
What makes a great rugby jersey:
Rugby jerseys need to be tough. The fabric should be a heavier-weight polyester blend, lighter fabrics that work well for soccer or basketball will get stretched and damaged quickly in a rugby environment. Collar construction matters too: traditional rugby collars (both the classic button-up and the modern V-collar) are distinct to the sport and should be available as options from any serious supplier.
For rugby union clubs in particular, the playing jersey often carries significant history and identity. Getting the club colours, hoops and crest right is not a minor detail, it’s the whole point of ordering custom sports apparel rather than buying off-the-shelf. Work with a supplier who takes a digital proof process seriously and gives you the chance to review and approve the design before it goes into production.
★ | Rugby is part of our history at 2Reds. Design your custom rugby teamwear with our online kit builder. Design your own here. |
Soccer / Football
Soccer has one of the widest ranges of participants of any sport in Australia. From professional academies to Saturday morning junior competitions, school sport and amateur adult leagues. Custom soccer jerseys need to work across all of those contexts, and the design conventions of the sport are well established and well understood by players at every level.
What to include in a custom soccer kit order:
What makes a great soccer jersey:
Soccer jerseys should be lightweight and free-moving, designed for constant running, not contact. Moisture-wicking fabrics are standard, and the fit should allow a full range of upper and lower body movement without restriction. Sublimation printing is ideal for soccer because it reproduces the sponsor logos, sleeve stripes and colour panels that are central to the sport’s aesthetic without adding weight to the garment.
A note on away kits: many clubs skip the away jersey to save money and then have to scramble when a fixture clashes with an opposition’s home colours. Ordering both home and away jerseys at the same time, from the same supplier, with the same design base is almost always more cost-effective than coming back for a second order later.
Basketball
Basketball uniforms are one of the most recognisable in sport, the sleeveless jersey, the long shorts, the bold colour blocking. But custom basketball uniforms in Australia have evolved significantly beyond the basic singlet-and-shorts combination, with compression undershirts, warm-up gear and reversible designs all becoming part of the standard club kit discussion.
What to include in a custom basketball kit order:
What makes a great basketball uniform:
Full range of upper body motion is the primary functional requirement for basketball jerseys,shooting, rebounding and defending all demand unrestricted arm and shoulder movement. The fabric should be lightweight and highly breathable; basketball is an intense indoor sport with no natural airflow to assist cooling.
Player names and numbers are central to custom basketball teamwear, they’re visible to spectators throughout the game and are used by scorers and commentators. Make sure your supplier handles these clearly and accurately. Sublimation printing ensures names and numbers are sharp, durable and consistent across every garment in the order.
Volleyball
Volleyball uniforms sit somewhere between basketball and netball in terms of design, fitted, performance-oriented, and available in both one-piece and two-piece options for women’s teams. Custom volleyball teamwear is a smaller market in Australia than cricket or AFL, but the same principles apply: the right fabric, the right fit, and sublimation printing for a durable, professional result.
What to include in a custom volleyball kit order:
What makes a great volleyball uniform:
Volleyball involves explosive, multi-directional movement, jumping, diving, quick lateral steps so freedom of movement and fabric elasticity are the key performance requirements. Look for a four-way stretch performance fabric that allows full range of movement in all directions. Sublimation printing works well with stretch fabrics and won’t crack or restrict the garment’s natural movement.
Touch Football & Tag Rugby
Touch football and tag rugby are among the fastest-growing participation sports in Australia,accessible, social, and played by a huge range of ages and abilities. Custom touch football jerseys are typically simpler in construction than full-contact rugby, but the design flexibility and quality expectations are the same.
What makes a great touch football jersey:
Touch football jerseys should be lightweight and free-moving. The sport is built around speed and agility rather than physical contact. Player names and numbers are important (many competitions require them), and club colours are taken seriously even in social competitions. Sublimation printing on a lightweight performance polyester is the right approach for most touch football orders.
One of the advantages of using an online kit maker for touch football orders is the ability to do small runs cost-effectively. Touch comps often have teams of 10–14 players, not the large squad sizes of club cricket or AFL so having no minimum order requirement from your supplier matters.
Cycling
Custom cycling jerseys are a highly specialised category of custom sports apparel the aerodynamic cut, rear pockets, and full-length zip make them fundamentally different to any other sport’s garment. But the fundamentals of a good custom order are the same: sublimation printing, performance fabric, and a supplier who understands the sport.
What to include in a custom cycling kit order:
What makes a great cycling jersey:
Cycling jerseys are worn for hours at a time in a wide range of conditions the fabric needs to manage moisture, provide UV protection (especially for Australian summer rides), and remain comfortable in an aerodynamic riding position. Full sublimation printing is universal in quality cycling apparel. It allows the bold, complex designs that cycling culture loves, without adding any weight or bulk to the garment.
Use the 2Reds online kit creator to design your cycling jersey. Upload your club crest, choose your colour scheme, and submit.
School Sport & Leavers Apparel
Schools represent one of the most active segments of the custom sports apparel market in Australia. Whether it’s a sporting house jersey for the school carnival, a custom strip for the first XI cricket team, or a leavers jersey for the graduating class, schools need a supplier who can handle varied briefs, multiple garment types, and the specific requirements that come with ordering for young people.
What schools typically order:
What to look for in a school sport apparel supplier:
Schools need a supplier who is reliable, communicates clearly, and can meet school calendar deadlines, carnivals, swimming meets and interschool competitions are fixed dates that can’t be moved. Order early (8+ weeks ahead of the event where possible), confirm production timelines in writing, and always request a digital proof before approving the order for production.
School leavers jerseys in particular benefit from a supplier with no minimum order. Year groups vary in size, and paying for jerseys you don’t need is wasteful. The 2Reds kit builder lets you order exactly what you need, personalised for each student, with no minimum quantity.
★ | Design school sport kits and leavers jerseys with the 2Reds online kit builder. No minimums, fast turnaround. |
Ready to Order Custom Teamwear for Your Sport?
Whatever sport your club plays, the fundamentals of great custom sports apparel are the same: the right fabric for the demands of the sport, sublimation printing for durability and design quality, and a supplier who actually understands what they’re making.
At 2Reds, we’re a 100% Australian owned custom teamwear business built by athletes for athletes. Our online kit builder covers every sport in this guide and plenty more. Design your kit in minutes, upload your logo, and order with confidence. No minimums, no design experience needed, and delivery anywhere in Australia.
→ START BUILDING YOUR KIT HERE
About 2Reds
2Reds is a 100% Australian owned and operated custom sports apparel business. We design and produce custom teamwear for cricket, netball, golf, AFL, rugby, soccer, basketball, volleyball, cycling and more, for clubs, schools and organisations across Australia. Our online kit builder makes it easy to design and order professional custom sports apparel with no minimums and Australia-wide delivery.
