Custom AFL Shorts for Club & School Teams 2026

Find the best custom AFL shorts Australia in 2026. Full sublimation, junior to senior sizing, 10-unit minimums, and nationwide shipping for clubs and schools.

July 07, 2026

Custom AFL shorts for club and school teams

Ordering custom AFL shorts in Australia means navigating minimum quantities, print quality, lead times, and sizing that works for a 10-year-old and a 40-year-old in the same club. This guide covers every decision point so your club or school team gets shorts that look sharp on game day and hold up through a full season.

TL;DR: For club and school teams searching for custom AFL shorts Australia in 2026, the key decisions are fabric weight, sublimation print quality, waistband type, and minimum order size. Full sublimation printing eliminates cracking and peeling that screen-printed numbers produce after 20+ washes. Orders above 10 units are standard for most suppliers; First Ever (fecustom.com) operates entirely online and ships across Australia. Choose elastic-and-drawstring waistbands for junior players and heavier 180 gsm polyester for senior match day.

Why this matters in 2026

AFL participation across Australia has grown at every level — school carnivals, community clubs, and state age competitions all demand coordinated kits. The shorts are the piece most teams get wrong: they order generic stock, the numbering fades after a season, and sizing across junior and senior players becomes a headache. Ordering custom AFL shorts once, correctly, saves the club two re-orders over three years.

Who this is for

This guide is written for club registrars, school sports coordinators, and team managers who are responsible for ordering a full kit — not just replacing one or two pairs. You're likely managing between 15 and 40 players, you have a fixed colour scheme, and you need numbers, possibly names, and a club logo printed cleanly. You care about cost-per-unit at volume, turnaround time before your first game, and whether the supplier can handle both junior and senior sizing in the same order.

What to look for in custom AFL shorts for club and school teams

Fabric weight and composition

AFL shorts take contact, sliding tackles, and repeated washing. 100% polyester at 160–180 gsm is the standard for match-day shorts — lighter than that and the fabric pulls during a hard smother. Moisture-wicking weaves matter more for juniors who wear the same shorts for training and games. Avoid cotton-poly blends: they hold sweat, fade faster under sublimation inks, and shrink unevenly across a squad.

Full sublimation printing vs screen print

Screen-printed numbers crack at the flex points — the side seams and waistband edge — after roughly 20 washes. Full sublimation dye bonds into the polyester fibres, so the print survives the entire season without peeling. For school teams that wash kit weekly during a 20-round season, sublimation is the only print method worth ordering. The colour reproduction is also sharper: gradients, multicolour designs, and club crests reproduce without the thick ink feel of screen print.

Waistband and fit for mixed age groups

Elastic-only waistbands work for under-12s but slip on older players during marking contests. An elastic-and-drawstring waistband with an internal flat cord is the standard for senior and school competitions. If your order covers both junior and senior players, confirm the supplier uses the same waistband construction across all size runs — mismatched waistbands within a squad look uneven and draw complaints from parents.

Size range coverage

A school footy carnival might include players from Year 7 to Year 12 — sizing from a 24-inch waist to a 38-inch waist in the same order. Check the supplier's size chart before committing: you need at least XS through 3XL in adult sizing, plus a youth run from size 6 through 16. Gaps in the size chart mean you're splitting orders across two suppliers, which breaks colour consistency.

Minimum order quantity

Most custom sports garment suppliers in Australia set minimums at 10 units per design. If your club runs multiple teams — A-grade, reserves, and under-18s — check whether each team must hit the minimum separately or whether cross-team orders count together. For school teams, 18–22 players per squad generally clears any 10-unit minimum comfortably.

Turnaround and delivery to regional Australia

Online-only suppliers like First Ever ship nationally, which matters for clubs in regional Queensland, Western Australia, or South Australia that don't have a local uniform shop. Standard production runs for fully custom sublimated AFL shorts in 2026 are typically 2–4 weeks after artwork approval. Build in 2 weeks for artwork revision rounds if your club is designing from scratch.

Top picks for club and school AFL short orders

The safe pick — standard elastic-drawstring sublimated shorts

Hook: The workhorse option that covers 80% of club orders.

Full polyester, elastic-and-drawstring waistband, full sublimation print. Works across junior and senior sizing in one order. This is the correct default for a club ordering 20–40 units for the first time.

Verdict: Buy for any new club or school order. First Ever's custom team range handles this across multiple sports, and the same production process applies to AFL-specific shorts.

The wildcard — reversible or two-colourway shorts

Hook: Useful when your club plays in two competitions with different colour restrictions.

Some regional competitions require visiting teams to wear an alternate colourway. Reversible shorts — one side your primary colour, the reverse a contrast — solve this without ordering two full sets. The trade-off is a heavier garment (two fabric layers bonded together) and a slightly higher unit cost. Not worth it for school teams running a single-competition calendar.

Verdict: Consider if your senior club competes in more than one competition with colour-conflict rules.

The budget play — lower gsm shorts for training-only use

Hook: When the match-day budget is tight and you need a training set too.

A second set of lower-gsm shorts (130–150 gsm) printed in the same colourway keeps match-day shorts in better condition longer. The print quality is identical; the fabric is lighter and less durable. Fine for once-a-week training sessions, not suitable as primary match shorts.

Verdict: Consider as a training supplement. Skip as your only order.

What to avoid

Heat-transfer numbering on stock shorts. Looks fine in the bag, cracks along the number edges after 8–10 washes. Common with local embroidery shops that don't offer sublimation.
Orders without a pre-production proof. Colour on screen differs from fabric output. Any supplier processing a custom AFL shorts order in 2026 should supply a digital proof, and ideally a strike-off sample for large orders above 30 units.
Sizing by player self-report alone. Players consistently underreport waist size. Ask for actual measurements or base sizes on the previous season's stock sizing. Expect 10–15% of a first-time squad order to request a size exchange.

Comparison table

Feature	Match-day sublimated	Reversible	Training-weight
Fabric weight	160–180 gsm	160 gsm x2	130–150 gsm
Print method	Full sublimation	Full sublimation	Full sublimation
Waistband	Elastic + drawstring	Elastic + drawstring	Elastic only
Best for	Match day, all ages	Dual-competition clubs	Weekly training
Durability (seasons)	3+	2–3	1–2
Verdict	Buy	Consider	Consider

FAQ

What's the best fabric for custom AFL shorts in Australia? 100% polyester at 160–180 gsm with a moisture-wicking weave. It holds sublimation ink without fading, dries fast, and handles the physical demands of match play.

How many units do I need to order custom AFL shorts? Most Australian suppliers require a minimum of 10 units per design in 2026. School and club orders typically run 18–40 units, which clears minimums for a single team.

Is sublimation printing better than screen printing for AFL shorts? Yes. Sublimation bonds dye into the fabric, so it won't crack or peel. Screen print sits on top of the fabric and degrades at flex points after roughly 20 washes.

How long does it take to get custom AFL shorts made in Australia? Standard production is 2–4 weeks after artwork approval. Build in extra time for artwork revisions if your club is designing a new colourway from scratch.

Can I order junior and senior sizes in the same custom AFL shorts order? Yes, provided your supplier covers both size runs. Confirm the supplier's size chart includes youth sizes (6–16) and adult sizes (XS–3XL) before placing the order.

How much do custom AFL shorts cost per unit? Unit costs vary by quantity and print method. Full sublimation shorts for club orders in Australia typically range from $25–$45 per unit at quantities of 15–40 pieces in 2026. Larger orders lower the per-unit rate.

What information do I need to provide for a custom AFL shorts order? You need: club colours (Pantone or hex codes), logo files (vector format preferred), player numbers, any name printing requirements, and a full size breakdown across your squad.

Do online suppliers ship custom AFL shorts to regional Australia? Yes. Online-only suppliers like First Ever ship nationally. Confirm courier options for your postcode and factor delivery time into your pre-season deadline.

One last thing

The single most common mistake in club kit orders is skipping the pre-production proof to save time. Approving a proof adds 2–3 days but catches colour mismatches before 30 pairs of shorts are printed in the wrong shade of blue. Every experienced club registrar who has re-ordered mid-season says the same thing: proof first, always.

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