Swim Club & Academy Kit Supplier

Deck wear first: what a swim academy actually wears

A swim academy's kit is mostly worn out of the water. Swimmers arrive in a hoodie, sit on a cold deck between sets in a parka or poncho towel, and travel to galas in a tracksuit, so the pieces that carry the academy crest for the longest are the deck garments, not the suit. That is why ZipaSports builds an academy order around squad hoodies, poolside tracksuits, swim parkas, hooded poncho towels and mesh gear bags, then adds the water garments.

The water side of the order is usually a training suit for girls, junior jammers for boys and a long-sleeve rash vest for learn-to-swim groups and outdoor sessions. Every item is cut and decorated in the ZipaSports factory in Sialkot, Pakistan, so one purchase order and one mockup round covers the whole squad, and the full range is on the swimming and water sports page.

Squad tiers: one crest, several levels

Most academies do not issue the same kit to a six-year-old in learn-to-swim and a seventeen-year-old in the performance squad. The crest stays constant; the garment list and an accent colour change by tier. Because sublimation prints any colourway, a squad-specific trim, sleeve panel or hood lining costs nothing extra in set-up and lets coaches spot their group on a crowded deck.

Each tier can be ordered as its own design or as a colour variant of one design, and the MOQ of 20–25 pieces per design is counted across all sizes within that design, so a hoodie in child and adult sizes is one design.

Fabrics and GSM for chlorine, damp decks and daily washing

Academy kit lives in a humid, chlorinated building and goes through the wash several times a week, so the fabric choice matters more than it does for a dry-land club. ZipaSports offers these options, and the studio confirms the exact spec on the mockup.

Two points guide the choice. Polyester-based deck wear dries faster over a wet suit than cotton-heavy fleece, which is why performance fleece is the usual pick for hoodies that get pulled on straight after a set. And sublimated polyester holds its colour in a chlorinated environment because the dye sits inside the fibre rather than on top of it; ZipaSports runs wash-fastness and colour-fastness checks on sublimated fabric before cutting. Details are on the performance fleece and polyester-spandex pages.

Youth sizing: grading from the youngest learner to the senior squad

A swim academy order spans a wider size range than almost any other team order. Children's sizes, youth sizes and adult XS–5XL can all sit inside one design, and ZipaSports grades each pattern by computer so the crest placement and proportions hold from the smallest tee to the largest parka.

Three practices keep the sizing right. First, collect a chest and height measurement for every swimmer rather than a guessed age size; parents tend to order up for growth, which leaves a tee that hangs to the knees. Second, order a size set before the full run. A size set is charged at sample cost, the cost is credited against the bulk order, and it arrives in 5–7 days so swimmers can try on the actual garment on the deck. Third, agree a custom size chart with us at the start; that chart becomes the approved specification, and every future intake is cut to it.

Measurement tolerance within the approved chart is ±1–1.5 cm. Anything outside that on a finished garment is a manufacturing defect and is remade. The general method is set out in the size chart guide.

Galas, county meets and the away-trip pack

For a gala the visible pieces are the parka or hoodie during the walk-on and the printed cap in the water. Academies usually want the whole squad in one matching outer layer, so the parka or hoodie is the design to protect with the earliest deadline.

Identification on deck is handled with initials or a first name on the hoodie back or chest. Many academies limit this to initials for younger swimmers as a safeguarding measure; that is the academy's decision and ZipaSports follows whatever list is sent. Sponsor logos, where a local business has funded the kit, normally go on the hoodie sleeve or the parka back below the crest, as described on the names, numbers and sponsor logos page.

Swim caps printed with the academy logo are added to the order as a separate line, and swim towels and wet/dry backpacks complete an away-trip pack. Where an academy issues a full pack per swimmer, we can pack each swimmer's items together with a printed name tag, which saves the team manager sorting on the coach.

How an academy places the first order and repeats it each term

The first order follows six steps.

1. Send the academy crest (vector if possible), the squad list with sizes, and any colour references to ZipaSports by WhatsApp or email.
2. Receive a free digital mockup within 24 hours, with unlimited revisions until every squad tier looks right.
3. Optionally order a size set or a single physical sample, ready in 5–7 days, at sample cost credited against the bulk order.
4. Approve the mockup, size chart and quantities.
5. Bulk production runs 15–25 business days after approval; express production of 7–12 days is available at additional cost.
6. Kit ships by DHL, FedEx or UPS in 5–10 days, packed by squad or by swimmer as agreed.

Repeat orders are simpler. The approved artwork, Pantone references, size chart and label files stay on file, so a new intake in January or a top-up for three swimmers who moved up a squad is matched to the original run. Quantities below the 20–25 piece floor are possible on request for these top-ups. An academy that sells kit to families through its own shop is trading as a brand, and there is no MOQ limit for sportswear brands and companies.

Deadlines and delivery to the UK, USA, Canada, Australia and Europe

Work backwards from the date the kit must be on the deck, which is normally the first gala of the season or the start of a term. The stages below are the standard ZipaSports figures; add a few days at each end for the academy's own sign-off.

The same courier window applies to the UK, USA, Canada, Australia and Europe. ZipaSports issues the commercial invoice, packing list and certificate of origin; import duty and VAT or GST are payable by the importing academy on arrival unless agreed otherwise, and the shipping policy and the duties guide explain how that is billed in each market.

What you need to send us

An academy order goes into production faster when the first message contains the items below. None of them need to be perfect; the studio tidies artwork and builds the size chart with you.

Send these to ZipaSports on WhatsApp for a reply within 2 hours in business hours, or by email for a reply within 24 hours. Office hours are Monday to Saturday, 9:00 to 18:00 Pakistan time.

Quality Guarantee for academy kit

Quality Guarantee: if any garment arrives with a manufacturing defect, we remake it free of charge — the remake goes into production within 3 days of your report. For a swim academy that covers a misprinted crest, ghosting on a sublimated tee, colour off the approved mockup beyond normal shade tolerance, an open seam on a hoodie, a missing drawcord, a garment cut to the wrong size against the approved chart, or the wrong item or quantity against the approved order.

To claim, the team manager sends photos and the order reference on WhatsApp or email within 7 days of delivery. ZipaSports confirms within 24 hours in business hours, remakes the affected pieces, and ships the replacements at no charge; a credit is offered instead if the academy prefers.

Minor shade difference between dye lots, measurement within ±1–1.5 cm of the chart, a size chosen wrongly by a parent, and normal wear are not defects. Made-to-order kit carrying the academy crest and labels cannot be returned for change of mind, which is stated plainly on the Quality Guarantee and return policy pages. Every order passes in-line and final checks described under quality control, and pre-shipment photos are sent on request.