A good tournament shirt does three jobs: it protects anglers from the sun on the water, it thanks your sponsors, and it keeps advertising your tournament every time someone wears it the rest of the year. Here is how tournament directors and fishing clubs design shirts that get worn, not stuffed in a drawer.
Start with the right fabric
Anglers spend hours in direct sun, so the standard is a lightweight, moisture-wicking polyester long sleeve with UPF sun protection. Because the design is sublimated into the fabric, it doesn't add weight or heat, and it won't crack or peel after salt water and washing. See our Hot Fish UPF fishing shirts for the feel we use.
Lay out sponsors so everyone wins
- Front chest: tournament logo and year.
- Full back: a strong fish or ocean graphic with the title sponsor near the top.
- Sleeves: two or three supporting sponsors per sleeve, running down the arm.
- Lower back or collar: smaller sponsors, the date and the location.
With full sublimation, every color and every logo costs the same, so you never have to tell a sponsor their logo can only be one color.
Make the art worth wearing
Shirts with a real fish, boat or seascape graphic get worn long after the weigh-in. Shirts that are just a wall of logos don't. Give the design room to breathe, and keep sponsor logos clean and readable.
Sizes and quantities
Order by registered anglers, plus extra for captains, volunteers, sponsors and walk-up sales. Include youth sizes if families fish. There is no minimum order with Artcify, so you can add shirts later if registrations grow.
Timeline
Lock sponsor logos at least three weeks before the event. After you approve the proof, standard orders are ready to ship in 8 to 10 business days, rush orders in 3. We print and sew in our own shop in Miami and ship anywhere in the US, or to your Miami freight forwarder for the Bahamas and the Caribbean.
Beyond the shirt
Many tournaments add matching neck gaiters, bucket hats, flags and logo tents for the weigh-in station.
Planning a tournament? See our fishing tournament shirts page, call (305) 603-9146 or email orders@artcify.com.