It’s that time of year when cricket, lawn bowls, sailing and junior sport committees around Australia start locking in sign on days. Somewhere on the to do list, usually further down than it should be, sits club headwear. Then suddenly it’s a fortnight before round one, the canteen roster is sorted, the fixtures are printed, and someone asks, “hang on, what are we doing about hats?”
If that sounds familiar, you’re in good company. We work with sports clubs across every state and territory each spring, and the pattern is always the same: headwear gets remembered late, but it still needs to look sharp, fit properly and be ready before the first game. Here’s how to get ahead of it this season.
Sign on day is often the first (and sometimes only) chance a club has to measure up players, take orders and collect payment for uniforms and headwear in one hit. If your hats aren’t ready to show or try on that day, you’re relying on parents and players to remember sizes, colours and preferences weeks later. That’s when orders get messy, sizes get guessed, and committees end up chasing stragglers into November.
Getting your cap or hat range finalised before sign on day means you can display samples, take accurate orders on the spot, and give your club a clear timeline for when gear will land. It also means new families and players see a club that has its act together, which matters more than most committees realise.
Not every sport needs the same hat, and this is where a lot of clubs default to whatever they ordered last time rather than what actually suits their players.
If your club runs multiple sports or age groups, it’s worth reviewing whether one hat style is really doing the job for everyone, or whether it’s just the style you’ve always ordered.
Junior sign on days bring their own headache: a five year old in Auskick and a fifteen year old in the same club need genuinely different hat sizes, not just the same cap pulled tighter on the snapback. Most of our caps come in junior and adult fits, and it’s worth having both on hand at sign on so parents can try before they buy rather than guessing. Because we don’t set a minimum order quantity, clubs can order exactly what’s needed across junior and adult sizing without being forced into a round number that leaves you with leftover stock in the wrong fit.
Sun safety is a genuine consideration for any club playing through an Australian summer, particularly for junior sport held over long weekend mornings. A wide brim hat or a cap with a decent peak goes a long way, and if your club wants extra reassurance, our UPF rated range is worth a look for teams spending hours outdoors between October and March. It doesn’t need to be complicated: pick a style with real coverage, in a fabric that can handle repeated washing, and you’ve covered most of what matters.
This season we’re seeing plenty of clubs move away from single block colours towards contrast piping, contrast underpeaks and two tone panels that still read clearly as the club’s colours from across an oval. It’s a simple way to freshen up a look without a full rebrand, and it photographs well for social media and sponsor recognition. Earthy and muted tones are also creeping into casual and training wear alongside the traditional bold club colours, particularly for polos and beanies worn outside of match day.
Once artwork and colours are approved, our typical turnaround is around two weeks from proof approval to production being complete, so it pays to lock in your order well before your first fixture rather than the week of it. Working backwards from sign on day, that generally means finalising your logo, colours and sizing run at least three to four weeks out, which gives room for a proof, any tweaks, and a buffer for delivery. If you’re already running late, it’s still worth getting in touch, as we do work with clubs on tighter timelines when we can.
Every order goes through an online proof before production starts, so your committee can see exactly how the logo will sit on the cap or hat before anything is embroidered. That step alone saves most of the last minute panic that comes with ordering headwear for a club of any size.
Whether your club needs a few dozen caps for the seniors or a full run of junior and adult wide brim hats for a season of outdoor sport, we’ve been supplying Australian clubs since 2005 and our embroidery is backed by Doree Embroidery’s decades of experience here in Brisbane. Have a browse through our full range of hats and caps, or if you’d rather talk it through before sign on day arrives, get a free quote or give us a call on 1300 428 766 and we’ll help you get your club’s headwear sorted in plenty of time for round one.
