How to Start a Club Volleyball Merch Shop in One Afternoon

Starting a club volleyball merch shop takes one afternoon. Five steps: create the account, upload the logo, add 10 to 14 starter products, build age group sections, and share the link with the club. Bear Grips Pro Shops runs the storefront. No upfront inventory. No minimum orders. No setup fees. The shop is live and selling within hours of the director signing up.

Step 1: Create the Club Account

Go to shops.beargrips.com/for/club-volleyball and create the club account. The signup form asks for the club name, the director's email, and a shop URL slug. The slug becomes the public URL. For example, 'Riverside Volleyball Club' might use the slug 'riverside-vb' so the shop lives at shops.beargrips.com/riverside-vb.

Pick the plan during signup. Free covers 3 live products at higher base prices. Self-Service VIP at $59/month covers 200 products at the lowest base prices. Done-For-You VIP at $109/month covers 250 products and includes shop setup by a Pro Shops advisor.

Step 2: Upload the Club Logo

Upload the club logo. The logo prints on every product the club sells. PNG with a transparent background works best for product printing. The logo should read at the standard left-chest size (about 3.5 inches wide) and at the larger front-center print (about 10 to 12 inches wide).

If the club logo file is a JPG with a white background, the print provider can usually clean it up, but a transparent PNG produces the cleanest result. The Pro Shops design tool previews the logo on every product mockup before the shop goes live.

Bear Grips Pro Shops: Custom Apparel for Your Team. No Minimums. Free Shipping.

Step 3: Add 10 to 14 Starter Products

The starter product set:

1. Player practice tee (Sport-Tek moisture-wicking)
2. Player practice tank (Bella+Canvas performance)
3. Travel hoodie (Bear Grips Comfort Soft)
4. Warm-up quarter-zip (Sport-Tek)
5. Long sleeve performance tee (Sport-Tek)
6. Coach polo (Sport-Tek performance polo)
7. Family fan tee (Next Level cotton)
8. Mom quarter-zip (Sport-Tek ladies')
9. Dad hoodie (Comfort Soft Hoodie)
10. Sibling youth hoodie (Gildan Youth Hoodie)
11. Branded hat (Richardson Rope Hat, printed)
12. Tournament-specific tee (rotates by event)

Pricing is set during product setup. The club picks the retail price for each piece. Most clubs add $8 to $14 retail margin per piece over the VIP base.

Step 4: Build Age Group Sections

Multi-team clubs break the storefront into age group sections so families can shop their team quickly. Standard sections:

• 11U / 12U / 13U / 14U / 15U / 16U / 17U / 18U
• Boys vs Girls (if the club runs both)
• National / American / Open (USAV tier sections)
• Coach and Staff (separate section for the coaches)
• Family and Fans (parent and supporter apparel)

Each section shows the products tagged to it. A family clicks '14U Black' and sees the practice tee, travel hoodie, and quarter-zip variants assigned to that team. The dashboard handles the tagging.

Step 5: Share the Link Where Families Already Are

The store is only valuable if families know it exists. Standard places to share the shop link:

• Club registration confirmation email. Every new family gets the shop link the day they sign up.
• Parent group chats. Most clubs run a per-team group chat. Drop the link in week 1.
• Season welcome packet. Printed handout or PDF mailed before the first practice.
• Club social media bio. Instagram, Facebook, TikTok bio link.
• Tournament travel itineraries. Every itinerary emailed to families includes the shop link with the tournament-specific tee highlighted.
• Tryout day check-in email. Prospect families get the link the day they sign up for tryouts.

The shop is built. Now it sells.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does the full setup actually take?

About 90 minutes for a director who has the logo file and the product list ready. Less if the club picks Done-For-You VIP, which has a Pro Shops advisor handle the setup.

Is there a setup fee?

No. Free, Self-Service VIP, and Done-For-You VIP all have zero setup fees. The plan price covers the storefront.

Can the club start free and upgrade later?

Yes. Free covers 3 live products at higher base prices. As the club's product count grows, upgrade to VIP for the lower base prices and the higher product cap.

What if the club already has a logo on a t-shirt vendor's file system?

The Pro Shops design tool accepts PNG, JPG, and SVG uploads. If the logo lives with another vendor, request the file from them or upload the version from the club's website.