Who orders balls with a logo
Clubs, academies, schools, federations, local authorities, event organisers and companies all order balls with their name or crest on them. The reasons are practical: a branded ball is hard to lose in a shared kit bag, it looks consistent in a team photo, and it works as a gift or a prize. Retailers use the same route for their own branded range.
The product is simple, but the decisions are not. Size, panels, material, bladder and print each affect cost, feel and delivery date. This guide goes through them in the order you decide them.
Start with the sport and the player
Write down who will play with the ball and on which surface. Size and weight depend on age group and sport rules. A club that trains juniors needs different sizes from one that plays adult matches, and a school PE department may want a durable ball for hard surfaces and one softer ball for younger children. If the ball is used in official matches, check which requirements your league or federation sets. We do not know your league’s rules, so ask the organisation and send us their requirement.
For children under 14 years, some balls may fall under toy safety rules, and balls for small children may need testing under EN 71. Say who the user is when you send an enquiry.
Construction: how a ball is made
Three construction methods are common for footballs, and the same ideas apply to other balls:
- Machine-stitched. Panels are sewn by machine. This is the usual choice for training and school balls because it is cost-efficient and durable.
- Hand-stitched. Panels are sewn by hand, which gives a firmer feel and a higher price. It is used where touch matters more than unit cost.
- Thermo-bonded. Panels are glued and heat-bonded instead of sewn. They are more water-resistant and keep shape, and suit match balls.
Inside, the bladder is usually butyl or latex. Butyl holds air longer, and latex gives a livelier feel but loses air faster. Ask what the factory uses and how many panels the ball has. A cover of PU or PVC changes feel and price. PU feels softer, PVC is tougher and cheaper.
Logo and crest print
A club ball can carry a crest, a name, a sponsor’s logo or a full design. Common methods are:
- Screen or pad print on the panel surface for a simple one- or two-colour logo.
- Heat transfer or film for multi-colour crests.
- Full-panel printing for custom designs, which usually requires a higher minimum.
Send vector artwork, Pantone references and the position on the ball. Remember that a print on a curved, seamed surface distorts, so a logo is placed within a panel, not across seams. Ask for a printed sample, because a crest that looks right on screen can look different when stretched across a ball. Wear matters too: ask the factory how the print behaves after repeated kicking and on wet surfaces.
If you need golf balls with a logo, or other types, see our team sports and golf categories.
Minimums and prices
Private label balls need 300 pieces per model. A model is a ball type with a specific print and colour design, so two different crests count as two models. Prices depend on construction, cover, bladder, print and quantity. Catalogue pages show the indicative “from” price, excluding VAT, freight and duty, and we confirm the final price in a written offer within 2 working days.
If your order is small, consider a branded print on a catalogue ball rather than a fully custom ball. It keeps the price down and shortens the lead time.
Lead times
Allow time for each step:
| Step | Time |
|---|---|
| Offer after your brief | 2 working days |
| Printed sample | 7–14 days |
| Production after approval | about 25–45 days |
| Rail or sea to Poland | about 25–45 days |
| Total, order to warehouse | about 8–12 weeks |
Clubs order before the season starts. If the season begins in September, start talking in May or June, so that the crest is approved in July and the balls are in the EU in August. A late crest approval is the usual cause of a missed start. Our page for clubs and schools gives the sequence in more detail, and the how it works page covers the order process.
Sample and quality check
Approve a printed sample before production and keep it as the reference. Check the print position, the colour against your Pantone reference, the roundness, the bounce and the feel on the surface where the ball will be used. Inflate it, leave it for a day and see how much air it loses. When the order is produced, a pre-shipment inspection on a statistical sample (AQL) checks quantity, print, size, weight and packaging, and you pay the balance after you have seen the report.
Packaging and delivery
Balls are bulky and light, so freight is priced by volume and not by weight. Ask whether they ship inflated or deflated. Deflated balls save space considerably, and you inflate them on arrival. Pay attention to carton quantity: ordering a number that fills cartons or a pallet saves money. Include a pump and needles if the club needs them, and a mesh bag or net if you hand balls out in sets.
Labelling and compliance
Balls sold in the EU as consumer products need the data required by the General Product Safety Regulation (EU) 2023/988: the economic operator, a postal address, an e-mail address, type or batch, and any warnings in the language of the country of sale. For balls used by children, ask about EN 71 requirements. Packaging may need registration under national schemes. When we act as importer, we handle the labelling data and tell you what applies. See the quality page.
Checklist before you order
- Sport, size, age group and surface.
- League or federation requirement, if any.
- Construction, cover and bladder.
- Artwork in vector format with Pantone references.
- Quantity per model and a delivery date with a margin.
- Deflated or inflated shipping, pumps and bags.
- Labels, batch data and language of the destination country.
When the checklist is complete, send us your brief with the crest, quantities and date, and we will return an offer.
