Order Shirts for Field Day, a Pep Rally, or Spirit Week - and Still Hit the Date

The date isn't moving. Field day is field day, the pep rally is already on the calendar, and spirit week starts Monday whether the shirts are ready or not. The only things you control are what the shirt looks like and when you order it. This page covers both for the three events schools most often buy shirts for, plus how to run color teams without four separate headaches. Part of Spirit Wear for Schools and Teams.

What each event needs from a shirt

The three events look similar on a calendar and need different things from a shirt.

Pep rallies are about being seen and heard in a packed gym. The student section, the class competing for the spirit stick, the cheer and dance teams and the band all want to look like one group from across the bleachers. Shirts here are usually high school, adult sizes, worn by students who will wear them again at every home game - so they should look good on a Friday, not only in the gym.

Field day is about sorting. Every student needs to know which team they're on and every adult needs to find their group in a field full of kids. It's mostly elementary and middle school, mostly youth sizes, and the shirts will meet grass stains, water balloons and a sack race. The color does most of the work; the design is a bonus.

Spirit week is a series, not an event. Pajama day, jersey day, decade day, class-color day and a spirit Friday each have their own theme, and usually only one or two of them call for a custom shirt - most often class-color day and the final Friday before the game. The theme list is on spirit week theme ideas.

Design ideas by event

Pep rally shirts

• Big back, small front. A small school logo or mascot on the left chest, and one huge word across the back - the school's chant, the student section's nickname, or something like "LOUDER" - that reads from the top row. That's two printed surfaces, so the back adds the extra-surface cost.
• Blackout, whiteout or a single color. The whole student section in Black, White or the school's main color, with a one-color print. Simple and dramatic in photos.
• Class vs class. Each grade in its own color with its year big on the front - "27" in tall varsity numerals - for class competitions. This is color-team planning for teenagers (see below).
• Sleeve detail. The mascot's initial or the graduating year down one sleeve on an Adult Tee.

Field day shirts

• Team name and color. "Team Lightning" or "Red Rockets" in large letters on a solid-color shirt, with the school name and year small underneath.
• Numbers on the back. Free names and numbers can put a number on each kid's back so station leaders can call out "number 14" instead of guessing a name. A back print beside a printed front is one extra surface.
• Staff shirts that stand out. Give teachers and volunteers a color no team is wearing, with "STAFF" or "ASK ME" across the back, so a lost first grader can find an adult.

Spirit week shirts

• The Friday shirt. One design that ties the week together, often the homecoming game date with the mascot, worn for the final spirit day and the game that night.
• Class-color day. The class year on the front in the class's color; the idea gallery for spirit week has layouts.
• Theme-day add-ons. For decade day or a "dress like a teacher" day, a tee with a matching joke front gets more people to participate than a costume does.

More pictures are in the field day idea gallery, and contrast and legibility tips are in group shirt design tips.

Planning color teams

Color teams are where these orders get complicated. A common setup: the whole grade or school is split into four color teams, each with its own shirt color and the same design.

Choose colors that exist for everyone

Elementary teams mostly wear the Youth Tee, which comes in Navy, Red, Royal, Black, White, Sport Gray, Forest Green, Maroon, Purple and Kelly Green. It has no Gold, Orange or Carolina Blue, so a team planned as "orange" will need another color if its kids wear youth sizes. Adults on the same team can wear the Adult Tee, which comes in all of the garment colors, including Gold, Orange and Carolina Blue.

Pick colors that look different from a distance and in photos: Red, Royal, Kelly Green and Purple are easy to tell apart. Avoid putting Navy and Black, or Royal and Navy, on opposing teams. Keep White or Sport Gray for staff.

One order, not one per team

Put every team's shirts in a single cart instead of four color-coded orders. Bulk prices are counted on each item's own pieces across any colors and sizes, so 30 Red, 30 Royal, 30 Kelly Green and 30 Purple Youth Tees count as 120 Youth Tees:

Adult Tees count separately: $14.38 each, $10.90 from 12, $10.74 from 24 and $9.03 from 50. Everything ships to one coordinator in one shipment.

Counting sizes for color teams

Count by team, then by size, and check that each team's list adds up to its roster. Size by fit, not grade: youth and adult sizes are not one continuous scale, and an older student may need an adult Small rather than a Youth XL. The Youth XL vs adult Small page explains the difference.

For a school-wide event, send families a sizes link instead of paper: it takes up to 300 answers, nobody needs an account, and one button adds the answers to your order. Order two or three extra Youth M and Youth L per team for students who enroll late or forgot to answer.

Timing: count back from the earliest date

Production typically runs up to 10 business days after checkout, plus transit, and the cart shows the expected delivery dates before you pay. There's no rush printing and no guaranteed delivery date, so work backward:

Spirit week is five deadlines, not one. If class-color day is Wednesday and the spirit Friday shirt is Friday, Wednesday is your deadline. Because designing is free and each design is its own order, you can check out the earliest day's shirt first and finish the later ones after. Faster shipping can be added at checkout for most orders to the 48 contiguous states, but it doesn't speed up printing. More on this is in ordering deadlines and timing.

Ordering with Remi

Remi is the chat designer at /design. Describe what you want - "Field day 2027, 'Red Rockets' in big letters on a Red Youth Tee, school name small underneath" - or upload the school logo. Refine it in chat, then ask for the same design on each team color and see each one on the shirt. Add sizes from your link or enter them by hand, mix youth and adult sizes in one cart, and pay at checkout. If the school needs a quote or PO number first, see quotes and purchase orders.

Questions about spirit week and field day shirts

Can each color team have a different design?

Yes. You can mix designs, colors and sizes in one order and one shipment. The cart shows the bulk price it applies to each item before you pay.

Our team color is orange. What do we do for youth sizes?

The Youth Tee doesn't come in Orange, Gold or Carolina Blue. Choose a different team color, or put that team in Adult Tees if the students are big enough for adult sizes. Youth Performance Tees come in Orange if you want a moisture-wicking shirt for a hot field day.

Do pep rally shirts need to be performance shirts?

Not usually. A cotton Adult Tee is what most students wear again after the rally. Performance Tees make sense for the cheer team, dance team or field day in heat.

What if a shirt arrives misprinted?

Send a photo within 30 days of delivery for a reprint or refund. A size ordered wrong or a change of mind isn't returnable, so double-check sizes before you order.

Is there a minimum?

No. A single replacement shirt for a student who moved teams is a real order.

Related pages

• Spirit week theme ideas and homecoming shirts
• Cheer squad shirts and the cheer, band and dance idea gallery
• How volunteer coordinators collect sizes and place one order
• The mechanics of school shirt ordering for staff polos and size-run entry

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