Custom Rugby Kit Manufacturer for Clubs & Teams

What a rugby club orders from ZipaSports

A rugby club order from ZipaSports usually starts with the match strip and grows into training and touchline wear once the committee sees the mockup. Every garment below is made in our own factory in Sialkot, Pakistan, and every line carries the same 20–25 pieces per design minimum, with lower quantities possible on request for a single team or a top-up.

The full range, including referee jerseys, scrum caps and supporter tees, is listed on the rugby teamwear page.

Fabric weight for rugby: why the jersey is heavier than a football shirt

Rugby jerseys are ordered at the heavier end of our 140–180 GSM polyester interlock range because the fabric has to survive being grabbed in the tackle and the ruck, not only wick sweat. A football club will usually pick the lighter end of the same range; a rugby forward's jersey sits at the top of it.

Construction matters as much as weight. Match jerseys are sewn on lockstitch and overlock lines with a coverstitched neck and hem so a seam under load does not open, and the fit is cut closer to the body than a training top so there is less loose fabric for an opponent to hold. Sevens squads playing in summer often take the lighter mesh option, and clubs in hot climates often choose the same mesh for the whole season.

Training wear does not need match-jersey construction. Contact training tops use the same interlock, while plain training tees and bibs can go in mesh. Presentation tracksuits and club hoodies are made in cotton-polyester fleece at 280–350 GSM, or a lighter performance polyester fleece at 240–300 GSM if the club wants something that dries on a wet touchline. Fabric options are detailed on the polyester interlock and fleece pages, and ZipaSports checks wash- and colour-fastness on every sublimated fabric before cutting.

Sublimation, embroidery or tackle twill for a rugby strip?

For a rugby match jersey, full dye-sublimation is the method ZipaSports recommends because the hoops, panels, numbers, sponsor logos and crest are all printed into the polyester in one pass, so nothing can be pulled off in a maul. Embroidery is kept for fleece, polos and bags where a raised crest reads well. Tackle twill lettering is available but is rarely chosen for rugby because a stitched applique on a contact jersey is an edge an opponent can catch.

Numbers, names and sponsors on a rugby jersey

Rugby numbers follow the position, not the player, so most clubs order a set of numbered jerseys per squad rather than a jersey per person. A union first XV usually wants 1 to 15 plus replacement numbers up to 23; a league side wants 1 to 13 plus a bench set. Tell us the number run you need and the quantity per number, and we sublimate each one, with names optional for presentation or sevens kit.

Sponsor logos go wherever the club's agreements put them: front chest, back above or below the number, sleeves, shorts leg and the lower back are all common. Send each sponsor's logo as a vector file (AI, EPS or PDF) with a note of which squad it applies to, because senior and junior sponsors often differ. Our studio places every logo on the free 24-hour mockup so the sponsor can sign it off before anything is printed. Detail on file formats and placement is on the names, numbers and sponsor logos page.

Home and away jerseys can carry different sponsors, and the club crest is matched to a Pantone reference and held on file so the second season's shirts print the same colour as the first.

Mixed sizes, the women's section and junior grading in one order

A rugby club's 20–25 pieces per design can be spread across any mix of sizes, and the same design can cover the men's XV, the women's section and the minis and juniors in one production run. Adult sizes run XS to 5XL, which matters for a front row, women's cuts run XS to 4XL, and junior sizes are graded from the smallest minis up to youth sizes that meet adult small.

Women's jerseys are cut on a separate block, not simply a smaller men's shape, and the women's rugby jerseys page shows the fit differences. Junior jerseys follow the same sublimated design at a scaled print size so the crest and sponsors look correct on a smaller chest; see junior rugby jerseys for the age-group range.

Because sizing is where club orders most often go wrong, ZipaSports sends a size chart with the mockup and recommends that the secretary collects chest measurements rather than asking players which size they usually wear. A club whose sizes do not fit the standard chart can have a custom size specification made; measurement checks against the approved specification are part of final QC on every order.

Season planning: a timeline for the club secretary

Rugby clubs work to a first fixture, so the safest way to plan is to count backwards from that date using the lead times below. ZipaSports produces bulk kit in 15–25 business days after design approval, which is roughly three to five calendar weeks, and express production in 7–12 days is available at additional cost when a club has left it late.

Added together, a club that wants a physical sample should brief us around ten weeks before the first fixture; a club approving from the mockup alone can work to six or seven weeks. Northern-hemisphere clubs generally start their season in late August or September, so briefing earlier is safer.

Home, away and clash strips, and the reorder file

Most rugby competitions ask the home side to change when two strips clash, and referees expect a clear difference between the two teams and their own jersey. The general rule clubs follow is a dark or strongly coloured home strip and a light or contrasting away strip, with socks and shorts considered as well as the jersey, because a hooped jersey over the same colour shorts as the opposition still reads as a clash from the touchline. Check your union's or league's own regulations for the exact wording; ZipaSports produces both strips from one mockup set so the two designs are approved together.

Everything approved is kept on file: the sublimation artwork, Pantone references, crest digitising, sponsor positions and the size specification. When a club needs a reorder the following season, or a top-up for new players mid-season, the same files are used, so a jersey made in year two matches the jersey made in year one. Small top-ups below the 20–25 piece minimum are possible on request, and there is no MOQ limit for sportswear brands and companies.

What the club secretary sends us

A rugby order moves quickly when the first message contains the items below. Nothing needs to be finished artwork; a phone photo of the current jersey and a sketch of the new hoops is enough for the studio to build the 24-hour mockup.

The broader checklist on the team kit buying guide for clubs covers committee sign-off, sponsor approval and how to avoid the sizing mistakes that delay most club orders. ZipaSports replies on WhatsApp within 2 hours during business hours, Monday to Saturday, 9:00 to 18:00 PKT.

Delivery to the UK, USA, Canada, Australia and Europe, and the Quality Guarantee

Rugby kit leaves Sialkot by DHL, FedEx or UPS and reaches clubs in the UK, USA, Canada, Australia and Europe in 5–10 days, with the courier handling customs clearance. Import VAT or duty is payable by the importing club on arrival unless a different arrangement is agreed at quotation, and ZipaSports supplies the commercial invoice, packing list and certificate of origin so the shipment clears without queries. Very large league orders can go by sea in 3–6 weeks. Country detail is on the UK, USA, Canada, Australia and EuropeIrelandNew ZealandUAESaudi Arabia pages.

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 rugby club that means a misprinted number, an open seam or a jersey cut to the wrong size against the approved specification is replaced at no cost, with replacement pieces shipped free. Send photos and the order reference within 7 days of delivery and we confirm within 24 hours. Minor shade difference between dye lots and sizes the club chose wrongly are not defects, and made-to-order kit cannot be returned for change of mind. Full terms are on the Quality Guarantee page.