How to organize a team jersey order without a spreadsheet

Most jersey-order chaos starts before the first message is sent. Agree on the basics in the committee first: which jersey, which supplier, which colours, whether names and numbers are printed and whether you are ordering only for players or for supporters too.

Ask the supplier four questions up front: what is the minimum quantity, what is the deadline for the order, how long does production take and do they publish a size chart. The answers decide your deadline and the fields you need to collect.

Every extra question you ask later costs a chat message and a delay. List the information once, as fields, and make the important ones required:

• Size, as a fixed list of options rather than free text.
• Name on the jersey, with a note on the maximum length your supplier can print.
• Number, with the allowed range, and a rule for what happens when two people want the same number.
• Colour or cut, if there are variants such as women's and men's fits.

Nothing generates more messages than “what size should I get?”. Attach the supplier's size chart to the product, as a link or an image, so players can compare themselves with the chart at the moment they pick. If the supplier has separate charts for different cuts, add all of them. A short tip in the order notes, such as “order one size up if you like a loose fit”, prevents a lot of returns.

Choose a start and end date, ideally with a few days of buffer before the supplier's deadline. Two weeks works for most clubs. Announce the closing date once, in one place, and then let the deadline do its job. A list that really closes removes the late “can you add one more?” requests that otherwise reopen the order three times.

If you need an exception, make it a conscious decision by a manager, not a side effect of someone's late message.

Decide where the order happens and point everything at it. In dodgehub, you create the product, add it to a club shop session and share the link with your members. Members pick the size, type the name and number and submit once. For parents, fans or other clubs who want a jersey without joining, share the private guest link instead, as described in guest and external orders.

Whatever tool you use, the rule is the same: one list, one form, no side channels.

Do not wait until the jerseys arrive to talk about money. Publish how to pay, including a payment reference, at the moment of ordering, and track payment status per order. Verify the payments against your bank statement once the window closes, and send one reminder to anyone who still owes. See the guide on tracking who paid for a calm way to do that.

When the window closes, export or read the totals by product: how many of each size and variant, plus the list of names and numbers. Check it once for duplicates, such as two people with the same number, then send it to the supplier. Keep a copy of exactly what you sent, so any mistake in production can be traced.

Then mark the order as placed. If you use dodgehub, members will see that the club has ordered and that their jersey is on the way.

When the parcel arrives, check the contents against the order list before the training where you hand them out. Tick off each order as it is picked up, so you always know who is still missing a jersey and who still owes money for one. Once the last jersey is gone and the last payment is verified, the round is finished. Write down what went well and what to change, and the next round will be easier.