Ordering custom football team kits for the first time -- or switching suppliers -- raises more questions than most clubs expect. The decisions made before production begins determine whether your players take to the pitch in well-fitting, durable kit that reflects your club's identity, or whether you spend weeks chasing amendments and replacements. Here is what to establish before you commit to anything.

Who Is Actually Making Your Kit?

Many UK-based sportswear brands are resellers. They take your order, pass it to a third-party factory, and act as a middleman throughout the process. This is not always disclosed upfront, and it matters -- because when something goes wrong, you are dealing with a company that has limited control over the outcome.

Ask directly whether the supplier owns or co-owns their manufacturing facility. Candish Sports manufacturers exclusively through Gym Renegade (Pvt) Limited in Sialkot, Pakistan -- a factory in which Candish Limited holds a co-ownership stake. Sialkot is the established global centre for sporting goods production, and direct factory ownership means problems are resolved at source, not escalated through a chain.

What Is the Minimum Order Quantity?

This is a practical starting point for any club, school team, or newly formed side. Some manufacturers impose minimum order quantities of 50 or 100 units per style, which creates real problems for smaller squads ordering a home kit, away kit, and training range simultaneously.

Candish Sports operates from a minimum of 20 units per style. That is manageable for most clubs, including junior sides and reserve teams ordering separately from the first team.

Are the Garments Manufactured or Printed on Blanks?

There is a significant quality difference between a garment manufactured to your specification from scratch and a generic blank that has been printed or embroidered with your badge. Blanks are faster and cheaper to produce, but fit, fabric weight, and durability are constrained by whatever the blank manufacturer decided.

Custom-manufactured kits allow you to specify fabric weight, collar style, sleeve length, cut, and decoration method from the outset. Every Candish Sports garment is made from scratch -- no blanks. That distinction matters when you are ordering kit intended to last a full season or more.

What Decoration Methods Are Available?

A badge on a chest and a number on a back represent the minimum. Depending on your club's branding, you may want sublimation across the full body, embroidered lettering, puff print detailing, or chenille appliqué for a premium finish.

Available decoration methods at Candish Sports include embroidery, screen printing, sublimation, DTF print, puff print, and chenille appliqué. Knowing this upfront lets your design brief be as specific as possible, rather than adapting to whatever a supplier happens to offer.

What Does the Approval Process Look Like?

No order should enter production without your written sign-off on a design proof. If a supplier cannot confirm this as standard practice, treat that as a significant risk. Errors that slip through to production are expensive to correct and rarely the supplier's liability if you did not see a proof first.

Candish Sports sends a design proof within 24 hours of receiving a brief. Nothing proceeds to manufacture without written customer approval. That sequence -- brief, proof, approval, production -- is the only responsible way to handle custom kit orders, and it is worth confirming explicitly with any supplier you are considering.

What Are the Lead Times and Payment Terms?

Clubs and school teams often operate to fixed fixture schedules, pre-season deadlines, and tight budgets. Lead times and payment terms are therefore operational questions, not afterthoughts.

A typical Candish Sports order runs four to six weeks from design approval. For qualifying businesses, 30-day payment terms are available, and trade accounts can be registered free of charge. If you are coordinating kit delivery with a pre-season training block or the start of term, establish the lead time before you brief the design -- not after.

Questions Worth Asking Any Supplier Before You Order

• Do you own your factory, or are you reselling through a third party?
• What is your minimum order quantity per style?
• Are garments manufactured to specification, or printed on blanks?
• Which decoration methods do you offer?
• Will I receive a design proof before anything enters production?
• What are your standard lead times, and do you offer payment terms?

These are not unreasonable questions. Any experienced supplier should answer them without hesitation.

Ready to Brief Your Kit?

If you have a clear idea of what you need -- or even just the basics of your club colours and badge -- you can start the process without delay. Find out how the ordering process works at Candish Sports, or submit a kit brief and request a quote directly. A design proof will follow within 24 hours.

Ready to order custom football kit for your team? Visit our Team Sports & Football range to see what we make, or get a free quote and we'll come back within 24 hours.