When buying in bulk for a volleyball tournament, choosing a color and placing an order doesn’t cover all the bases. Bulk volleyball kits source reliable suppliers and incorporate fabric with the right performance, sizing, and customization, so every player can hit the court in gear that represents the team with a professional fit and finish. This guide helps clubs, league organizers, and tournament directors to properly source bulk volleyball kits with the right order size, and the quality construction along with the right performance fabric to meet their goals within the time constraints they are working under.
Sourcing Bulk Volleyball Kits with Strategy
Along with the needs of the sport, like quick recovery and freedom of stretch, each type of volleyball, court or beach, has its own unique requirements of fabric weight and coverage with regard to ventilation. Without strategy, bulk volleyball kits can easily end up with none of these, along with a host of other fitting complications, especially when the kits are needed by a certain date. Sourcing with a strategy truly benefits clubs and teams the most.
High Performance Volleyball Kits and Fabric
The materials in bulk volleyball kits will define their comfort and functionality during play, and knowing the main performance traits of each fabric will help buyers strategically place the right materials from the beginning.
Moisture Wicking Polyester Blends
The base material of most quality volleyball kits is moisture-wicking polyester. It pulls and spreads sweat from the skin to the surface of the fabric where it can quickly evaporate. Since volleyball is an exertive sport, players sweat a lot during the match or tournament. Sweat evaporating fabric helps keep players dryer and more comfortable for multiple sets and tournament matches.
Four-Way Stretch Fabric
Four-way stretch fabric helps volleyball kits provide the ease of movement required for the sport. In addition to stretching to allow movements, the fabric has to recover quickly to help the kits maintain a uniform look throughout the long day of the tournament. Four-way stretch fabric gives players the unrestricted movement required to allow them to perform on the court.
Light and Breathable
Being light and breathable offers volleyball kits the ability to shed the bulk that prevents the movement required during an exertive sport. Combining the right materials helps volleyball kits shed the heavy and sweat soaked fabric used in traditional volleyball clothing during play.
Sublimation-Compatible Fabric
Sublimation-compatible Polyester is the base material of most quality bulk volleyball kits. It offers the ability to print full color and all over the garment with no added bulk or stiffness.
Volleyball kits normally have a lot of coloring and a lot of a team’s brand. Sublimation printing is perfect for printing on fabric that has that coloring and breathability. Because of this, this type of fabric is usually the only type of fabric found in a good quality volleyball kit.
Understanding MOQs for Bulk Volleyball Kits
MOQs, which are minimum order quantities, show how many kits a supplier is willing to sell. This is important for clubs and tournament organizers for obvious reasons.
Design Complexity and MOQs
A simple design with just blocks of color with maybe a few logos will tend to have a lower MOQ than a design with a lot of color zones and a lot of patterns. Also, fully custom sizing can lead to a higher MOQ, as suppliers must fully grade each kit for that order. If a team is on a tight budget, they can opt for a simpler design that contains color, logos, and patterns, and also opt for a custom fit and a fully graded custom sizing.
Combining Kit Components to Meet MOQs
In order to efficiently meet MOQs for bulk volleyball kits, a tournament organizer or club manager can order kits with both jerseys and shorts in the same order. In addition, combining warm up gear and supporter merchandise in that same bulk order provides MOQs and often a better price for each unit.
Customization Options for Bulk Volleyball Kits
Customization is what makes a standard bulk volleyball kit look less standard and like a branded team kit that shows the team’s identity and their sponsors.
Consider the following customization methods based on design needs and budget.
- Sublimation printing: This method creates lightweight customized fabric that creates no bulk that can display sponsor branding. Full color graphics can be printed with no limit to design or color.
- Screen printing: This is the best method when you’re on a budget in exchange for color choice. It is best for large orders of apparel with simple graphics and large block coloring.
- Embroidery: This method has a more expensive cost with a much better finish for club branding on polos and outerwear.
- Heat transfer: This method is best for small orders requiring a sponsor logo or large graphics, as it requires a lower investment than other printing methods.
- Custom labeling: This method involves printing standard care labels or hang tags, which are customized for specific events, to help promote a clubs identity on the ice-hockey apparel.
Using the right printing method for each design element gives the best results for the cost of the custom apparel, durability, and graphics.
Managing Sizing Across a Bulk Volleyball Kit Order
When ordering apparel in bulk for a team or large field of participants, getting the right size is very important. Sizing errors affect the whole order.
Collecting Accurate Team Measurements
Using self-reported sizes gives poor results for fitted jersey style apparel. Using the measurements of players along with the manufacturer’s size chart helps give the best fit results with the least risk of errors.
Requesting Samples Across Multiple Sizes
Requesting samples of the custom apparel in at least 3 sizes helps check the fit and accuracy of the apparel order.
To identify problems with size grading, it’s best to inspect a sample of both the smaller and the larger sizes. Problems with grading will typically show up on just the smaller or larger sample. Inspecting both samples will help catch those problems before the entire bulk order is produced, and as a result, will lower the number of complaints that are received after the order is delivered.
Timelines for Tournaments and Orders for the Season
The orders that are the most time sensitive are the bulk orders for specific tournaments. Delays in orders for club kits may be tolerable, but delays for orders for a tournament would be unacceptable.
Realistic Production Schedules
Most orders for bulk kits can take weeks to be produced. The order and design complexity can change the time lines. A large time block should be included in the orders for kits. Sourcing orders for bulk kits should begin up to three to four months before a planned tournament. The ordering of the bulk kits should be a planned activity. Late orders should be avoided as they can lead to quality issues.
Deliveries for Multiple Teams in a Tournament
Kit orders from multiple clubs will require the tournament organizer to plan a delivery schedule. Coordinating orders with a single manufacturer will usually ensure that all the club orders are of the same quality and will help reduce the logistical issues. Working with a manufacturer that has experience with multiple clubs will help the tournament organizers a great deal.
Additional Product Offerings
Once your core kit program is established, expanding into complementary apparel categories strengthens your offering for clubs and tournament participants alike.
Natural extensions to your match kits can include training apparel, warm-up jackets, and supporter merch after reviewing the full volleyball apparel category. Likewise, organizations with multi-sport programs can utilize the full sportswear category for volleyball, basketball clothing, and other court sports to ensure quality and branding across sports within their programs.
Partner with a Trusted Manufacturer for Bulk Volleyball Kits
The demands and logistics of large scale tournaments make finding a manufacturing partner for bulk volleyball kits a challenge. Regardless of whether you are kitting out one club team, a regional league, or a multi-team national tournament, the right partner will make the process simple through their expertise, while maintaining quality and setting expectations throughout the process.
We are custom apparel manufacturers that help clubs, leagues, and tournament organizers find bulk volleyball kits throughout the competition tiers that meet their demands and budgets for each of the markets. If you are ready to place your next order for kits, let us know, and we will discuss your event needs with an emphasis on your available options and the restrictions for each of our areas.
Conclusion
Careful consideration of requirements and lead times is necessary for bulk volleyball kit sourcing. These kits are typically constructed from tournament-grade fabrics and require design approvals, production, and shipping timelines. Incorporating detailed sampling and extensive sizing procedures helps avoid fit issues. Selecting a trusted manufacturing partner and starting the process well in advance always results in better quality products and a more pleasant experience.
This guide allows clubs and tournament organizers to procure large orders of competitive volleyball kits, ensuring that all players are provided and ready to compete.
FAQs
What is a typical MOQ for bulk volleyball kits?
Most suppliers have an MOQ for bulk volleyball kits of 50-200 kits with the same design. Simple designs and standard sizing tend to have a lower MOQ than fully sublimated tournament kits.
What fabric works best for competitive volleyball kits?
Moisture-wicking, four-way stretch polyester is the best choice for competitive volleyball kits because of the movement and sweat management demands. Lightweight, breathable construction enhances comfort for extended match play.
How do I get accurate sizing for a large volleyball team order?
Obtain players’ actual measurements instead of relying on self-reported sizes, and compare this to the size chart of the manufacturer. To avoid fit issues, request samples in at least three sizes before committing to a bulk order.
Can tournament organizers request kits for multiple teams from one supplier?
Yes. Placing a multi-team order for one tournament supplier simplifies team order management and creates cost efficiencies. It also simplifies delivery.
