When to Order Team Uniforms, A Season-by-Season Calendar for USA Coaches
Ordering deadlines for football, basketball, baseball, and flag football uniforms in the USA. Production timelines, rush options, and a month-by-month planning calendar.
Every year we get the same call in the second week of the season: "Can you get us jerseys by Friday?" Sometimes we can. It always costs more than planning would have.
This is the calendar we wish every coach and athletic director had taped to the wall.
How long custom uniforms actually take
For sublimated, made to order kits:
| Stage | Time |
|---|---|
| Design and mockups | 24–48 hours |
| Revisions and approval | 2–7 days (depends on you) |
| Delivery incl. shipping | 14 to 21 days |
| Shipping | Varies by destination |
| Planning rule | Allow for artwork approval, 14 to 21 days for delivery and destination-specific transit |
Work backwards from your first game, not your first practice. Then add two weeks of buffer for a sizing reorder.
Season-by-season deadlines
American football
Season runs August through November. Order in April–May. Spring is when budgets get approved and when production capacity is widest. Ordering in July puts you in the busiest queue of the year.
Flag football and 7v7
Fall and spring leagues, plus summer tournament circuits. Order well before your first tournament. Delivery takes 14 to 21 days including shipping after artwork approval, and any rush service must be confirmed before payment.
Basketball
Season tips off in November for most rec and school programs. Order in September. Spring AAU and club seasons should order in January.
Baseball and softball
Spring season starts in March. Order in December–January. Travel ball rosters that form in the fall should lock uniforms before the holidays, January is the single busiest month for baseball orders and lead times stretch.
Off-season and spirit wear
Hoodies, warmup gear, and fan gear have the same lead time as uniforms. If you want them for a holiday fundraiser, order by early October.
Month-by-month planning calendar
| Month | What to order |
|---|---|
| January | Baseball, softball, spring AAU basketball |
| February | Spring flag football, track |
| March | Summer 7v7, camp gear |
| April | Fall football, best month to order |
| May | Football (last comfortable window), fall spirit wear |
| June | Rush football orders only |
| July | Rush only, premium pricing |
| August | Basketball planning begins |
| September | Basketball, best month to order |
| October | Holiday tournament kits, fundraiser spirit wear |
| November | Baseball planning begins |
| December | Baseball, softball, spring sports |
What makes an order late (and it's usually not us)
- Roster collected by group text. Sizes go missing, the order sits.
- Artwork approval drift. Every day a mockup waits for a decision is a day off the calendar.
- Late color codes. Waiting on a school's PMS code can add a week.
- Sizing reorders. Guessed sizes mean a second production run at full lead time.
Fix all four by collecting names, numbers, and chest measurements in a single form before you talk to a supplier.
If you're already late
Contact us before payment with the event date. Rush service is subject to availability, and no shorter timeline is guaranteed until we confirm it.
Contact us with your first game date and we'll tell you honestly whether it's achievable.
Plan your order
Run your roster through the Team Kit Builder to collect every player's details in one pass, check bulk pricing tiers before you set a budget, and use our youth jersey size chart so nothing comes back for a reorder.