Custom Apparel for Youth Athletic Development Programs

Youth athletic development programs serving ages 8-14 have a unique merch dynamic. The kids want to match their teammates, the parents are the buyers, and a $30 hoodie is an easy yes. Cohort buy rates often run 50-70 percent because parents see the shirt as part of the program experience. Here is what to stock and how to price for the parent buyer.

Why Parents Are the Real Customer in Youth Programs

The kid wants to match their friends. The parent buys. Once you understand that, the entire merch decision changes:

• Pricing is compared to school spirit wear and youth sport jerseys, not to athletic boutique brands.
• Sizing must cover youth and youth-large reliably.
• Parent matching pieces are an easy add-on (a hoodie for mom or dad in the same logo).
• Quality matters because the parent owns it after the kid grows out of it.

The Youth-Fit Pieces in the Catalog

Piece	Brand	Sizing	VIP base
Youth athletic tee	Bear Grips	XS-XL (ages 6-14)	$19.88
Youth moisture-wicking tee	Sport-Tek	XS-XL	$23.88
Youth moisture-wicking long sleeve	Sport-Tek	XS-XL	$29.88
Youth hoodie	Gildan	XS-XL	$36.88
Youth crewneck	Gildan	XS-XL	$33.88
Youth athletic mesh shorts	Sport-Tek	XS-XL	$26.88
Youth baseball hat	Valucap	One size	$25.86

Stock the youth tee, youth hoodie, and a hat at minimum. Add the long sleeve and shorts seasonally.

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

Adding Parent Matching Pieces (Big Margin Boost)

For every 10 kid pieces sold in a youth program, parents buy roughly 3-4 matching adult pieces. Add to the shop:

• Adult premium cotton tee at $30 retail
• Adult Bella+Canvas womens favorite tee at $30 retail (mom matching)
• Adult hoodie at $48-$55 retail
• Adult snapback hat at $30 retail

"Matching parent and kid shirts on the team photo" sells itself. No campaign needed, just having the option available raises the per-family spend from $30 to $60-$90.

Pricing the Shop for the Parent Buyer

Parent buyers are price-sensitive in a specific way. They will pay $30 for a youth shirt without blinking, but they wince at $40 for the same shirt. Keep youth tees at $26-$30, youth hoodies at $42-$48. The math:

Piece	VIP base	Parent retail	Margin
Youth tee	$19.88	$28	$8.12
Youth long sleeve	$29.88	$38	$8.12
Youth hoodie	$36.88	$48	$11.12
Youth shorts	$26.88	$34	$7.12
Youth hat	$25.86	$30	$4.14

Sample Revenue for a 24-Kid Youth Speed Program

A 24-kid summer speed-and-agility program with a 60 percent cohort shirt buy rate:

• 15 cohort tees at $9 margin = $135
• 10 cohort hoodies at $11 margin = $110
• 6 parent matching tees at $9 margin = $54
• 4 parent matching hoodies at $12 margin = $48
• Single program total: about $350 in profit

Run a fall, winter, spring, and summer program with the same model and youth merch alone clears about $1,400 per year on top of any other facility apparel revenue.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you offer youth sizing across the whole catalog?

A subset of the catalog (tees, long sleeves, hoodies, crewnecks, shorts, hats) has dedicated youth fits. Other pieces are adult-only.

Can parents and kids order separately or do I batch the order?

Both. Each parent orders directly through the shop URL and pieces ship to their address. If you want to batch deliver at a final session, you can collect a single order yourself.

What about toddler or infant sizing?

We do not currently offer toddler or infant sizing. Youth XS (roughly age 6) is the smallest fit we carry.

Are the youth fabrics the same quality as the adult?

Yes. Youth pieces use the same Sport-Tek moisture-wicking and Gildan fleece fabrics as the adult counterparts.