Good to know
What is a spirit pack?
The short answer
A spirit pack is a bundle of team or school gear that each player, student, or family orders as one set: a T-shirt, a hoodie, and a water bottle, for example, all with the team's name or mascot. Teams use them so everyone matches from the first day of the season, and so ordering is one decision instead of several.
What goes in one
There is no fixed list. A spirit pack is whatever the team wants everyone to have.
Most are built around two or three pieces of apparel, with something to carry or drink from. T-shirts, hoodies, and water bottles are common. Individual names and numbers can go on shirts and hoodies, so each player's is their own.
Who uses them
Sports teams are the classic case: every player gets the same practice shirt and warm-up, so the team looks like a team. The same idea works for a band, a cheer or dance squad, a club, a class, or a whole school.
A pack is usually for the members themselves. Spirit wear is the wider version: individual items anyone can buy to show support, such as parents, grandparents, and fans. Many teams offer both at once.
How ordering works
The hard part of a spirit pack was never the shirts. It is the paper order forms, the checks, the sizes copied into a spreadsheet, and the boxes that have to be sorted by hand when they arrive.
An online store takes that away. Each family picks their own sizes and pays on their own, and nobody on the team collects forms or checks. Orders arrive sorted by person, ready to hand out.
Planning one
A few decisions, made early, keep it simple.
- What is required and what is optional. If the pack includes gear players must have, say so on the order page.
- How many pieces. A short list is easier for families to say yes to than a long one.
- The deadline. Work back from the first practice or the first game, and leave time to collect sizes.
- The budget. Decide what each family should expect to spend, and build the pack to fit it.
Questions
More about spirit packs
Don't see yours? Call 419.224.8747 and ask a person.
EXCELLENT4.9 from 58 Google reviews, rated 4.9 out of 5. Opens our Google Business profile in a new tabWhat usually comes in a spirit pack?
T-shirts, hoodies, and water bottles are common. It is whatever the team wants everyone to have. Tell us your budget and we'll suggest a pack.
Is a spirit pack the same as spirit wear?
Not quite. A spirit pack is a set, usually for the players or members themselves. Spirit wear is individual items anyone can buy to show support. Many teams offer both from the same store.
Is a spirit pack a fundraiser?
It can be part of one. A pack by itself gets everyone outfitted. Offer spirit wear and other items that families and fans can buy, and the same store can raise money for the season. How much depends on what you offer and how many people buy.
Fundraisers & Spirit PacksDo players have to buy it?
That is the team's call. Some teams require the pack because it includes practice gear. Others make it optional. Decide before the store opens, and say so on the order page.
Can each piece have a name or number?
Yes. Individual names and numbers can go on shirts and hoodies.
How do families order and pay?
Through an online store set up for your team. Each family chooses sizes and pays on their own, so you're not collecting forms and checks. Orders arrive sorted by person.
How far ahead should we start?
As early as you can, because collecting sizes takes time and the season has a start date. Tell us your date up front. Rush options are available for the orders that come in late.
Who designs the artwork?
Our design team can create the artwork from your mascot, your colors, or just an idea, and you'll see a proof before anything is made.
Putting together a spirit pack?
Tell us about the team and your budget, and we'll suggest a pack. You'll see a proof before anything is made.