Spirit Wear and Team Shirts for Inland Empire Schools

Spirit wear is a group order, and the group is where the headaches come from. Here is how ASB directors, coaches, and booster parents at Inland Empire schools can run it so the shirts land on time and nobody is stuck holding a box of the wrong size.

Decide these three things first

Before you ask anyone for a size, settle these with whoever signs off at the school or club:

• One design or several. One design for everyone is the simplest order. If you want a separate design per team, grade, or club, list every design in the quote request.
• Who owns the size sheet. One person collects every size. Everyone else sends theirs to that person.
• The deadline. Game day, spirit week, the fundraiser table at the fall festival. Work backward from it.

Which order fits your group

Custom printed t-shirts

For a small club, the coaching staff, or a dozen volunteers who do not need a full pack, start with the custom printed t-shirt: a Gildan heavy cotton tee with your design printed in full color.

Screen-printed packs

One design, one bulk run. The screen-printed t-shirt 36-pack covers a full team, a club roster, or a spirit-week sale.

Beanies and socks for fundraisers

A beanie or a pair of socks moves at the booster table when the shirt drawer at home is already full. Look at the embroidered beanie 25-pack, the logo beanie 50-pack, and the full-color socks 12-pack. For the parking crew and field volunteers, the apparel and workwear collection also has hi-vis safety vests.

For the students who will not wear a shirt, full-color lanyards and 2-inch logo stickers fill out the table; both are in print and marketing. An engraved tumbler from drinkware makes an easy end-of-season coach gift. For a plaque instead, see plaques, crystal awards, coins, and medals.

Collecting sizes without chaos

Use one shared size sheet. Not the group chat, not five text threads, not sticky notes on the coach's desk. A shared spreadsheet or a single clipboard both work, as long as there is one list and one person who owns it.

• Columns: name, size, quantity, and paid (if it is a fundraiser).
• Give the sheet a close date a few days before you want to send us the order, and hold to it.
• Add a few extra in the sizes most people picked. Someone always joins late, someone's size changes, and a spare shirt in the common sizes is easier than a second order.

When the sheet closes, send us the totals by size.

Artwork: what to send

Send the school or club logo as a JPG or PDF. The cleanest, largest file you have is the one to send; if the original file from whoever designed the logo is sitting on someone's drive, that is even better. If all you have is wording, send the wording, spelled exactly the way it should appear, with the year and team name.

One thing to settle early: the mascot. Whether the mascot can go on something you sell is the school's call, not ours, so check with the front office or activities director before the sheet goes out. It is a quick question now and an awkward one after the shirts are printed.

The proof step, and why it saves reorders

Once we have your artwork, you get a free digital proof within 48 hours, no obligation. Nothing is made until you approve the proof. This is where you catch the wrong year, the coach's name spelled two ways, or the logo too small to read from the stands.

Show the proof to the one or two people who need to sign off, usually a coach or administrator, rather than the whole group chat. A typo caught in the proof gets fixed before anything is made. The same typo on 36 shirts is a second order, a second proof, and a second wait.

Timing: start two to three weeks out

On our side: proof within 48 hours, then most pieces are ready 3–5 business days after approval; pack items and larger runs take longer, and we confirm the date in your quote. What takes time is your side: collecting sizes, getting the mascot answer, and finding the person who can approve the proof. Add it up and you want to start two to three weeks before game day or spirit week.

• Three weeks out: decide the design and products; open the size sheet; send us a quote request.
• Two weeks out: close the size sheet, send totals and artwork, approve the proof.
• One week out: shirts are made; pick up or ship.

If you also need a banner for the booster table or the field, we covered that in our post on custom signs for Inland Empire businesses.

Pickup in the Inland Empire, or shipping

Local pickup in the Inland Empire is free. If the order needs to go to an away tournament, an alumni group, or a district office, we ship nationwide. Booster clubs and PTAs that need an invoice for the treasurer get one.

Common questions

How far ahead should a school order spirit wear?

Start two to three weeks before game day or spirit week. The free digital proof comes within 48 hours, and most pieces are ready 3–5 business days after approval; pack items and larger runs take longer, and we confirm the date in your quote. The rest is collecting sizes and sign-off on your side.

Do we need finished artwork?

No. A JPG or PDF of the logo, or the exact wording with the year and team name, is enough to start a proof.

Can the mascot go on the shirts?

That is the school's call. Check with the front office or activities director before the size sheet goes out.

When the size sheet closes, send the shirt or pack you picked, the totals by size, the logo or wording, game day, and pickup or shipping on the get a quote page. You will have a free digital proof within 48 hours, no obligation. Questions first? Call (909) 265-3656 or email info@inlandengravings.com.