Can you think of a more classic application of patches than a baseball hat or jersey? It’s nearly iconic. Patches aren’t just suitable for baseball teams, all sports teams sport patches on their uniforms. We do a lot of hockey team patches, bowling team patches, and golf patches. Every now and then we get to do some patches for more niche groups, like running teams or equestrian groups. Let’s run through a few things to consider when buying patches for sports teams.
Design
If you have an established logo, we can easily adapt that to a patch style that suits your team. If you haven’t gotten your design nailed down yet, we can build a custom design for you that will instantly become a classic with your team. But what type of patch will work best? It depends partly on your artwork, but embroidered patches are a classic choice for baseball teams. For teams that tend to have more creative artwork, like hockey teams or golf teams, woven and sublimated patches are great for getting that artwork to come out really clean. Leather patches are a popular choice for equestrian groups, fitting in well with the aesthetics of horse gear. And, If your sport involves more running – like disc golf, frisbee, or just running – a woven patch or label with no merrow is a lightweight choice that can be ironed or stitched on and will not feel heavy or chafe. PVC patches are a fun choice for many sports teams, and have the added bonus of being water and sweat proof. An important thing to note about PVC, it is thicker and heavier and is not well-suited to thin garments.
Attachment
In general we always recommend hand-stitching for durability and classic appearance, but sometimes heat press or hot ironing is the right choice. As I mentioned above, for some sports you need to be conscious of chafing and stitches on the inside of the garment next to the skin could cause irritation. If you have jerseys that you want to add patches to, it makes sense to heat press patches on and avoid any risk of chafing. The only other time we recommend heat press is when you have a die cut or heat cut patch that has an irregular shape, i.e. your awesome mascot deserves special treatment.
Product Choice
Beyond the classic trucker, there are so many styles to choose from that will suit your team best. Full twill caps with a little contrasting piping like the Richardson 172 Pulse Sportsman R-Flex are a classic-looking baseball cap. Performance caps like the Richardson 220 or 221 Unstructured R-Active Lite feature lightweight breathable synthetic fabrics that are perfect for running and golf. The Yupoong 6245 Peached Twill Dad Cap is an easy choice for a variety of sports and works well for men and women. The Richardson 111 Garment Washed Trucker is a popular style for equestrian teams and looks great with leather patches.
Maintenance
Look, we know sports can be pretty rough, and athletic garments go through lots of washing and lots of sweating. Your patches will not be exempt from the wear and tear. For the most part you won’t need to worry about colorfastness unless you’re in the sun a lot. You can expect hats to get bleached when you’re sweating in them in the sun. Heat pressed patches will eventually begin to peel up at the edge when you’re putting them through the ringer. We want to tell you to be mindful to preserve your shiny new goods, but who are we kidding? You want to win? Go out there and do what you gotta do. WE want you to win. Unless you’re a rival…
With that said, once you do get your shiny new uniforms, we want to see a team photo. Be sure to tag us on Instagram and let us see how hard you’re working for that big W. Sports are such a fun way to connect, learn, grow, get healthy, and we love seeing all varieties of sports teams from youth baseball teams to adult disc golf and your local bowling league.
