How Many Custom Rugby Jerseys Should a Club Order? A Squad Sizing Guide

Published October 14, 2026. Last updated October 14, 2026.

A club should order enough custom rugby jerseys to dress its full matchday squad, including every replacement, plus a small block of spares in the sizes it uses most. Customized Rugby Jerseys starts at a minimum of 12, sends a free mockup within 24 hours and delivers in about 2 weeks, so the count can be built side by side.

How many custom rugby jerseys does one side actually need?

One side needs a custom rugby jersey for every player who can take the field on match day, which means the starting team plus every named replacement, not just the starters. Clubs that count only the starting line-up end up with replacements warming up in mismatched training tops, and that is the most common shortfall Customized Rugby Jerseys sees on a first quote.

Start with the matchday squad your league or competition allows, then check how your side really operates. Some sides travel with an extra player or two in case of late withdrawals. Some use rolling substitutions in sevens or touch formats, where the bench is part of the game. Write down the number of players who could realistically wear a numbered jersey on a single day, and that is your base count.

• Starters and all named replacements get a numbered match jersey.
• Travelling reserves who might be named late should be counted too.
• Coaches and water carriers usually wear training or supporter kit instead.

The base count is the floor. Spares, size cover and other kit lines are added on top, as the next sections explain.

How many spare rugby jerseys should a club add to the order?

A club should add a small block of spare rugby jerseys in the sizes most likely to be needed mid-season, rather than a random handful of extras. Spares cover the jersey torn at a ruck, the player who grows out of a size, and the new signing who arrives after the order has shipped. The right number depends on how rough your fixtures are and how often your squad changes.

Think about spares by size, not just by quantity. A spare in the largest size is useless to a winger, and a spare in a small size will not fit a prop. Look at your size list and add cover where the squad clusters, usually the middle sizes, plus at least one in the largest size because forwards are the hardest to cover with borrowed kit.

Numbers matter too. A spare jersey can be left blank on the back and numbered later, or printed with a number that is not in use, so it can replace any player without clashing. Ask Customized Rugby Jerseys to quote spares as their own line so you can see them clearly on the mockup.

Should match, training and supporter rugby jerseys be counted separately?

Match, training and supporter rugby jerseys should always be counted as separate lines, because each one is bought for a different group of people and in a different fit. The match jersey count follows the matchday squad. The training count follows everyone who turns up on a training night. The supporter count follows parents, committee members and fans, and it is often the largest of the three.

Keeping the lines apart also helps the budget conversation. A club can lock in the match jerseys first, then run a supporter pre-order so fans pay for their own shirts, rather than guessing and holding stock nobody claims.

How do you build a size run for a rugby squad?

The most reliable way to build a size run for a rugby squad is to collect each player’s size against their name before you request a quote, instead of estimating a spread. Rugby squads are not shaped like the general population: front rows, locks and back-three players can sit several sizes apart, and a guessed spread almost always runs short at the top end.

1. Share the size guide for the fit you are ordering, player fit or relaxed fit.
2. Ask each player to confirm a size, ideally by trying a sample or comparing a jersey they already own.
3. Record name, size and preferred number in one sheet.
4. Add spare sizes on top of the confirmed list.
5. Send the sheet with your quote request so the mockup and order match.

If a few players have not answered by the deadline, order their likely size and note it, rather than holding back the whole squad. The how it works page explains when names and sizes are locked in, so you know how long you have to chase late replies.

Can a small side or touring team order fewer custom rugby jerseys?

A small side or touring team can order as few as 12 custom rugby jerseys from Customized Rugby Jerseys, which covers a sevens squad, a vets side or a short tour party with room for spares. The minimum applies per order, so a club can place a small run for one team without waiting for every other side to be ready.

Tour parties are a good example. The squad is usually fixed weeks before departure, and the jersey is a keepsake as much as a playing shirt, so most tour organizers order one jersey per tourist, including management, plus a couple of spares for injuries and late call-ups. The tour and commemorative jerseys page covers the extras that often go on these shirts, such as tour dates and destinations.

Youth and sevens squads work the same way. The touch, sevens and youth jerseys range suits small squads where players grow quickly, so it pays to weight spares toward the next size up.

Is it better to order the whole season's rugby jerseys at once or in stages?

Most clubs are better off ordering the core match and training rugby jerseys at once before the season, then topping up in stages as new players join. One main order keeps every jersey in the squad from the same run, while later top-ups handle new signings, youth players moving up and supporters who missed the first window.

Staging works because the design is already approved. Once Customized Rugby Jerseys has your mockup signed off, a later order only needs names, numbers and sizes, and it follows the same standard turnaround of about 2 weeks. Plan each top-up at least that far ahead of the fixture it is meant for.

• Before the season: match jerseys for every side, training jerseys for the full squad.
• After the first month: top-up for new players and any size swaps.
• Before finals or tours: commemorative or supporter runs if the club wants them.

Sides that change kit every season, such as sublimated club kits with a new sponsor, should still keep one approved file per season so top-ups match.

What should a club send to get an accurate jersey count quoted?

To get an accurate quote, a club should send the number of rugby jerseys per kit line, the fit for each line, the confirmed size list, and whether names and numbers are needed. With that information, Customized Rugby Jerseys can quote the real order instead of a rough estimate, and the free mockup arrives within 24 hours.

• Kit lines: match, training, supporter, tour or commemorative.
• Fabric: traditional cotton weave or sublimated.
• Sizes against names, plus the spares you want added.
• Back details: names, numbers, nicknames or blanks for spares.
• The date of the first fixture the jerseys must arrive for.

Clubs with several teams can follow the approach on the university and college rugby clubs page, where each side is counted on its own line within one order. When the count is ready, use the custom quote form. You pay nothing until you approve the design, and revisions are unlimited and free.