How to design a football scarf, from first idea to delivery day

Published 19 October 2026

You can design a football scarf in nine straightforward steps: choose the technique, colours, wording, crest and pattern, settle on a quantity and budget, then approve a free design proof before production and delivery. All of the design work happens in the online scarf configurator, which shows a live preview and price as you go. Here is the whole process, with the things clubs most often get wrong at each stage.

Step 1: choose the technique

The technique decides everything else: how many colours you can use, how long the wording can be, how much detail your crest keeps, and the price.

• Classic jacquard: thick, warm, double-sided acrylic knit with up to 3 colours. The traditional terrace scarf.
• HD jacquard: the same knit on a finer gauge, with up to 7 colours for a detailed crest.
• HD woven: crisp woven polyester with up to 8 colours. Lighter, and each side can carry a different design.
• Printed satin: dye-sublimated, so there is no colour limit (photos and gradients included). Light and the most affordable.

For a scarf that has to see a club through a January away day, jacquard is still the benchmark. Our comparison of jacquard vs woven scarves goes through the differences in detail.

Step 2: set your colours

Start with the background colour, then the wording and the pattern. There are 16 yarn colours, from navy, claret and royal blue to sky blue, gold and dark green, and they are matched to your club’s Pantone references at proof stage.

Two tips:

• Go for contrast. Yellow wording on white disappears from the other side of the ground; white on navy or yellow on black reads instantly.
• Check the reverse. On jacquard, the back is a negative of the front, so the colours swap over. Make sure you like both sides.

You can also add a border stripe along both edges in its own colour to frame the design.

Step 3: write the wording

This is the heart of the scarf. Keep it short: around 15 characters on classic jacquard and 25 on HD jacquard. Any longer and the letters shrink until nobody can read them. Capitals generally knit better than lower case.

Club name, town, nickname, a motto or a year all work well. If you are stuck, browse our football scarf slogan ideas.

Step 4: add your crest or logo

Upload your crest to the configurator. The background is removed automatically, and every colour it detects can be mapped to a yarn from the palette. For the best result:

• use a vector file (SVG, AI, EPS or PDF) or, failing that, a PNG at least 1,000 px wide on a transparent background;
• simplify fine detail: very thin lines and tiny lettering get smoothed out by the knit;
• make sure you have the right to use the crest you send.

Everything is explained in our guide to putting a logo on a knitted scarf.

Step 5: pick a pattern

The pattern dresses the ends of the scarf and gives it character. There are four starting points (blocks, stripes, checks and plain), each in its own colour. Blocks and stripes give you the classic terrace look; plain puts the wording and crest centre stage. If you want proper bar-scarf stripes, see our striped scarves page.

On jacquard, the stitch-by-stitch preview shows exactly how the pattern and wording will be knitted, so there are no surprises when the box arrives.

Step 6: finishes and extras

Fringes come as standard on jacquard and are optional on woven and satin. Depending on what you need, you can add:

• embroidery, for a raised crest or sponsor logo;
• a woven label;
• individual bags, handy if you are selling scarves in the club shop or giving them as gifts;
• express production (+20% on the total).

Current prices for each extra are on our football scarf prices page.

Step 7: settle the quantity and budget

The minimum is 50 scarves per design, in the standard 140 × 18 cm size. The unit price drops as the quantity goes up, and a tier applies as soon as you reach it.

To size your order, start with the number of players, members or season-ticket holders, add a margin for new joiners and matchday sales, then check whether the next tier up brings the unit price down noticeably. Our club scarf budget guide shows how to work it through.

Step 8: request a quote and approve the proof

Once you are happy with the design, send it as a quote request: your design travels with the form, so there is nothing to retype. You can also share the design link with the committee or your supporters’ club first and gather opinions before you send it.

A designer then prepares your free design proof within 24 working hours: the final artwork, Pantone colours, and the placement of crest and wording. Ask for as many changes as you like. Nothing is made until you approve it in writing.

Step 9: production and delivery

Once the proof is approved, production takes 4–6 weeks. If you have a fixed date (the first home game of the season, a derby, a cup final, a club anniversary), mention it in your request: the express option shortens the lead time, and the date is confirmed on your quote. More detail on our production times page.

When they arrive, one last tip to make them last: wash at 30°C on a delicate cycle and dry flat.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Wording that is too long for the technique: it gets scaled down and loses legibility.
• Colours that are too close between background and wording.
• A low-resolution crest, or one with a background that has not been removed.
• Forgetting the reverse on jacquard, where the colours swap.
• Ordering too late: allow time for the proof, then 4–6 weeks of production before your date.

Ready to start? Open the scarf configurator, try a few versions and share the link with your club.