Netball kit design is a conversation with the players as much as the committee. Some clubs run dresses, some skort and top, some let players choose. The sponsor logo has to work across both without swallowing the club identity. This guide covers how to design grassroots netball kit built to fit your team, respect England Netball rules on branding, and give your sponsor the visibility they signed up for.
A committee designing kit for the first time in a while often assumes the whole squad has to match exactly, one dress, no exceptions. England Netball's own guidance says otherwise, and getting this right avoids a season of players quietly unhappy in kit nobody was ever required to wear.
The kit choice: dress, skort and top, or both
England Netball's guidance is explicit: kit should be uniform in colour, but players do not have to wear identical garments, and nobody has to wear a dress. Recommended options include dress, shorts, leggings, skort, skirt and long or short sleeve top, all in the club's colours. A club offering a genuine choice tends to see fewer complaints and better retention, particularly among junior and teenage players.
Decide the range early, since it affects sizing, cost and how the sponsor's logo travels across garment shapes. A dress needs the logo positioned differently to a fitted top.
Position bibs and how they interact with sponsor logos
Every netball player wears a position bib over their kit during a match: GS, GA, WA, C, WD, GD and GK. This is netball-specific and changes the sponsor logo conversation compared with football or cricket. A logo placed low on the back of a dress or top sits directly under the bib for the entire match and is effectively invisible from behind.
Front chest placement, high enough to sit above where the bib's lettering falls, keeps a logo visible with the bib on. Sleeve placement is the more reliable second option, since bibs do not cover the arms. Back and hem placement is the weakest option in netball, since the bib obscures much of the upper back for the entire match. Design around the bib from the start rather than discovering the problem once kit and bibs are both on court.
Colours, badges, and club identity
The club badge and core colours are not part of the sponsorship. The badge holds its usual position, and the sponsor's logo sits alongside it. Keeping a clear zone around the badge avoids the cluttered look happening when two marks compete for the same small area of fabric.
England Netball rules on kit and branding
England Netball does not run detailed sponsor logo size and position rules the way some sports do. Its published guidance focuses on player welfare and choice: uniform club colours, no requirement to wear a dress or identical garments, plus guidance on hair and head coverings for players who wear them for religious, cultural or personal reasons. This gives grassroots clubs genuine design freedom, provided the squad reads as one team in matching colours.
Most leagues add little beyond this, so the practical constraints on sponsor logo design come from the bib, the garment shape and simple legibility, not a detailed governing body rulebook.
Junior netball kit considerations
England Netball's junior entry programme is Bee Netball, for players aged five to eleven, before they move into age-group competitive netball from under-12s upward. Bee Netball kit tends to be simpler and lighter on branding than senior kit, since these sessions focus on participation rather than club-versus-club matches.
From under-12s through to under-18s, kit specifications move closer to the adult squad's, and a growing junior section is where the dress-or-skort choice matters most, since teenage players are typically the group most likely to have a strong preference.
The Kit Funder route: co-branded kit for £309, designed and delivered by My Club Group
Kit Funder pairs the sponsorship match with the kit itself. A full netball kit for a squad of nine costs £309, designed and delivered by My Club Group, supplier to more than 11,000 teams across the UK. The club keeps its own colours, badge and choice of garment shapes throughout, with the sponsor's logo added around them. Five per cent of every invoice goes on top to a local mental health charity, at no extra cost to the club.
A committee does not need design experience. The My Club Group kit builder lets a club test colours, badge placement and sponsor logo position on screen, across dress and skort-and-top options, so a bib-obscured logo or a badge clash gets caught before production.
Your Kit, Funded
Register your netball club free at kitfunder.ai/teams. Kit Funder delivers a co-branded netball kit designed through the My Club Group kit builder. For the full picture of how netball clubs pay for kit beyond sponsorship, read our piece on how to fund a grassroots netball club.
Common questions about netball kit design
What colours can a grassroots netball club use for their kit?
England Netball's guidance asks for kit uniform in colour so the team reads as one squad, but players do not have to wear identical garments. Clubs mix dress, skort, top and legging options as long as they share the same club colours.
Where does the sponsor logo go on a netball dress or top?
Front chest, positioned above where the position bib sits, is the strongest option, since it stays visible whether the player is wearing a dress or a top. Sleeve placement works well as a secondary mark, while back placement is weaker in netball because the bib covers much of the upper back during play.
Should a grassroots netball club use dresses or skorts?
Either works, and England Netball's own guidance confirms a dress is never compulsory. Many clubs offer both and let players choose, which tends to reduce kit complaints and helps with retention, particularly among junior and teenage players.
What are the England Netball rules on kit branding?
England Netball does not publish detailed sponsor logo size and position rules. Its guidance focuses on uniform club colours and player choice and welfare, including hair and head covering guidance, which gives grassroots clubs genuine freedom in how they design sponsor branding.
How much does a grassroots netball kit cost?
A full kit for a squad of nine costs £309 through Kit Funder, covering design and production through My Club Group with the club's own colours and badge kept throughout. Costs vary outside Kit Funder depending on supplier, garment mix and squad size.
