Custom football shorts: sublimated or basic

When matching sublimated shorts are worth it and when to go basic with crest and number.

Shorts are the item that can save you (or show off) the most budget in a kit. They're also the one people think about least: they get chosen in thirty seconds after two weeks spent on the shirt. These are the two options for custom football shorts and how to choose wisely.

Sublimated shorts (matching)

They carry the same design as the shirt, sublimated across the whole fabric: same colours, same pattern, same visual continuity. It's the premium option for a fully coordinated kit. With the shirt, €3.55 (pack price, applied automatically); on their own, €8.95.

Pros:

• The team looks like a team, not a collection of separate pieces.
• The ink goes into the fibre: it doesn't crack or peel, and it doesn't block breathability.
• You can carry the shirt's pattern onto the legs, with the crest on one and the number on the other.

We've expanded the sublimated shorts catalogue with new models, so it's worth looking through all of it before deciding: you may find one that goes better with your shirt than the one you had in mind.

Basic shorts (white or black)

These are plain, more affordable shorts to which we add the crest and number using DTF (a transfer applied with heat that works on any fabric colour, including black). With the shirt, €1.00; on their own, €5.95.

Pros:

• They keep the budget in check without giving up customisation: they still carry your crest and the player's number.
• Plain black or white goes with practically any shirt, even very busy designs.
• They're easier to replace and to match if a player loses theirs.

Cons: you can feel the crest slightly (it's a layer, not part of the fabric) and there's no design continuity with the shirt.

Which one should I choose?

• Total matching look: sublimated. If the club cares about the photo and its identity, it's worth it.
• Tight budget: sublimated shirt + basic shorts. With the shirt, that's €2.55 less per player, and the shirt, which is what people look at, stays the same.
• Mix: you can combine them however you like in the same order. Nothing says the whole team has to wear the same.

A note on youth football: shorts take more punishment than shirts (artificial grass, falls, hot washes). If your budget is limited, investing in a sublimated shirt and basic shorts is almost always the most rational decision.

What the real difference is between sublimation and DTF

In a sentence: sublimation puts the colour inside the fibre (it only works on polyester and a light base); DTF lays a layer on top (it works on any fabric and any colour, including black).

It's not that one is better than the other: they solve different things. That's why we use both. We explain it in depth in sublimation vs printing.

Shorts sizes aren't shirt sizes

Classic mistake: assuming that someone who wears an M shirt wears M shorts. That's not always the case. Basic shorts and socks have their own chart in cm; check it separately in the size guide. More tips in how to take sizes without mistakes.

And the socks

They complete the kit: with the shirt, €2.00; on their own, €2.95. They're plain, by colour (not sublimated): you choose the shade that goes with the shirt or with the shorts. Bear in mind they're the item that gets lost and replaced most during the season, so it's worth ordering a few extra.

How to order them

In Design your shirt, in “Complete your kit”, press “+ Custom shorts”. With “Same as the shirt” you choose how they look in one tap: Same, Colours reversed, Another background colour or Plain. If that makes them plain white or plain black, the website automatically gives you the basic shorts in that colour, with the crest and number. They look the same and they're cheaper. You can also choose sublimated shorts from the catalogue, the basic ones (white or black) or plain socks in whatever colour you like.

If you want them different, “Design them separately” opens “Design your shorts”, with its own gallery and colours, and the shirt alongside: with the “Eyedropper” you copy its colours. “← Back to the shirt” takes you back to it exactly as it was.

And if what you're sure about is the shorts, start with Design your shorts and add the shirt afterwards. There the 3D view isn't live: it's generated when you add them, in a few seconds.

The sizes go on the shorts card, with each player's shirt size already filled in. “Same sizes as the shirt” matches them, and “No shorts” is for anyone who doesn't want them. The price updates as you choose, with no surprises at the end.

If you load the list with the catalogue's Excel template, you make that decision right there: in the template itself you choose whether the shorts are sublimated or basic, the colour of the basic ones and of the socks, as well as each player's shorts and socks sizes.

And remember: there's no minimum order. You can order a single pair of shorts to see the quality before ordering the team's eighteen. If you're looking for more ideas to keep costs down, we give them in affordable kits without losing quality.