Custom Handball Kit Manufacturer for Clubs & Teams

Who this page is written for

This page is for the person at a handball club who has been handed the kit job: the secretary, the kit manager, the head coach of a junior section, or the league administrator ordering referee shirts for a whole competition. It sets out how a handball order is built at ZipaSports in Sialkot, Pakistan, from the first email to the courier delivery.

The numbers that govern the whole process are fixed and do not change between pages. Minimum order is 20–25 pieces per design, with lower quantities possible on request for small sections and sample runs. A free digital mockup is returned within 24 hours of your brief, with unlimited revisions before approval. A physical sample takes 5–7 days and is charged at sample cost, credited against the bulk order. Bulk production takes 15–25 business days after design approval; express production of 7–12 days is available at additional cost. Courier delivery by DHL, FedEx or UPS takes 5–10 days to the UK, USA, Canada, Australia and Europe.

Everything below is specific to handball: the goalkeeper garments, the number placement, the colour-contrast rule and the season calendar. For a sport-neutral overview, read the team kit buying guide for clubs; for the product catalogue, start at handball teamwear.

What a handball club actually orders

A handball club order is usually two sets of court kit, a goalkeeper set in a contrasting colour, a training layer and something for the bench and the travel bus.

Each row counts as its own design for the minimum order, so a club ordering 22 home jerseys, 22 away jerseys and 22 shorts has three designs, each above the 20–25 piece line. Mixed sizes are allowed within a design; referee shirts, supporter tees, socks and sweatbands are ordered the same way.

Court players and goalkeepers are two different garments

Handball goalkeepers do not wear the outfield jersey in a different colour; they wear a different garment. A goalkeeper spends the match diving onto a hard court and blocking shots with the body, so the standard goalkeeper set is a long-sleeve top with padded panels at the elbows and forearms, worn with long trousers that carry padding at the hips and knees. ZipaSports makes the padded goalkeeper top and goalkeeper trousers as separate products so a club can order them in different quantities from the court kit.

Goalkeeper pieces are ordered in small numbers: two or three tops and trousers per squad is common. That is below the 20–25 piece minimum per design, and the factory handles it in one of two ways. The first is to treat the goalkeeper set as a colourway of the same design as the outfield jersey and count it towards that design's quantity. The second is to accept the small run on request, which the MOQ policy allows for small teams. State the goalkeeper quantity on the brief and the quote will show which route applies.

Padded panels are cut in the same sublimated fabric as the rest of the garment, so the colour and print run continuously across the padding.

Numbers, names and sponsors on a handball jersey

Competition rules for handball generally require a large number on the back of the jersey and a smaller number on the chest, in a colour that contrasts clearly with the jersey. ZipaSports prints both numbers as part of the sublimation file, so the numbers are printed with the garment, with no vinyl to lift and no limit on the number of colours in the design. Confirm the exact height requirements with your federation and note them on the brief; the studio sets the artwork to those heights.

Player names run above the back number. Sponsor logos usually sit on the chest, one or both sleeves, the back below the number and on the shorts. All of these go into the same sublimation file. A vector file (AI, EPS or PDF) prints cleanly at any size; a small JPEG lifted from a website will look soft on a full-size jersey. The names, numbers and sponsor logos page shows placements and file requirements.

Where does embroidery come in? On handball tracksuits, quarter-zips, polos and bags, the crest is usually embroidered because those fabrics are not sublimated. Tackle twill lettering is available but rarely chosen for handball; sublimated numbers read just as clearly and add no weight in a warm hall.

Sizing a mixed squad: juniors, women's cut and men's cut in one order

A handball club with senior men's, senior women's and junior sections can put all three into one order with one artwork file. Each garment is graded from its own size chart: a men's cut from adult XS to 5XL, a women's cut from XS to 4XL, and youth sizes for the junior teams. ZipaSports keeps separate patterns for women's handball jerseys and women's shorts rather than scaling a men's block down, which matters for shoulder and hip fit on a garment worn for a full hour of running and jumping.

Youth grading is done on the computerised pattern system, so the crest, number and sponsor logos are scaled in proportion for each size instead of being printed at adult size on a small jersey. If a junior section spans several age groups, send a size list per age group and the factory grades each one separately.

Clubs that are unsure of sizing can order a size set before the bulk order: one jersey in each size, produced on the 5–7 day sample lead time and charged at sample cost, credited against the bulk. Players try them on at training, the secretary records the sizes, and the bulk order is placed against real measurements. Measurement tolerance on the finished garments is ±1–1.5 cm against the approved size chart.

Home and away colours: the general rules

Handball colour rules exist to let the referees and the timekeeper tell four groups apart at a glance: the two sets of court players and the two goalkeepers. In general terms, a club needs a home jersey, an away jersey in a clearly different colour, and a goalkeeper colourway that contrasts with both its own court players and the opposing team. Many leagues also ask that the goalkeeper colour differ from the opposing goalkeeper, which is why goalkeeper sets are often ordered in two colourways as well.

A practical way to build the set is to choose one dominant club colour for the home jersey, a light or white away jersey, and two goalkeeper colours taken from the opposite side of the spectrum, for example a bright green and a bright orange that will never clash with anyone's court kit. Shorts and socks can be common to home and away to reduce the number of designs in the order.

Colours are matched to Pantone references in sublimation, and the approved references are held on file at the Sialkot factory. When a club reorders a season later, the factory prints from the same file and the same references, so the new jerseys match the old ones within normal dye-lot shade tolerance.

Planning the season: a working timeline

Handball seasons in Europe, the UK and Australia generally run from early autumn to late spring, with tournaments and pre-season friendlies in the weeks before. The kit needs to be at the club before the first fixture, not at the factory. The timeline below counts back from a first match, using the standard lead times; the express column shows what changes if you are late.

The clock on bulk production starts when the mockup is approved and the size list, number list and names are all in. A club that approves the artwork but sends the sizes a fortnight later has moved its delivery date by a fortnight.

What the club secretary sends us

The order goes faster when the first email contains the items below. Nothing needs to be in a particular format; a spreadsheet and a logo file are enough. The studio produces the mockup from whatever you send and asks for anything missing.

If the club has an existing kit made elsewhere, one jersey posted to Sialkot or a set of flat photos with measurements lets the pattern team match the fit players are used to. Payment terms and a full quotation are confirmed with your enquiry; contact ZipaSports on WhatsApp for a same-day quote.

Reorders, shipping and the Quality Guarantee

Reorders are the reason to keep everything on file. ZipaSports stores the approved artwork, Pantone references, size specifications and label files for each club, so a mid-season top-up for new signings or a full re-kit the following year prints from the same file. Top-ups below the 20–25 piece minimum are possible on request for existing club orders.

Finished kit ships from Sialkot by DHL, FedEx or UPS in 5–10 days to the UK, USA, Canada, Australia and Europe. Import VAT and any duty are payable by the importer on arrival unless otherwise agreed; export documents (commercial invoice, packing list, certificate of origin) are supplied with every shipment. The country pages for the UK, USA, EuropeIrelandNew ZealandUAESaudi Arabia, Australia and Canada give the import detail for each market.

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. Send photos and the order reference on WhatsApp or email within 7 days of delivery; we confirm within 24 hours during business hours and ship the replacement pieces at no charge. Made-to-order garments carrying the club's own design and labels cannot be returned for change of mind. Full policy at quality guarantee and return policy.