About the Design:  

2025’s design is all about bringing the nation together! Every year, Nationals is a cross-country, all-province-and-territory party bringing together athletes from across the nation. When you’re hosting the largest youth sporting event in Canada, only something as big as the Canadian map can reflect the excitement, pride, and enthusiasm of 20,000+ athletes at the peak of their skill. 

This week we had the chance to sit down with our talented Marketing and Communications senior manager Carolina Tancon to chat all about the process for designing this year’s national’s apparel. 

We learned that this process starts months prior to the events. The concept stage begins as far back as November the year before, when Carolina and our graphic design team work in tandem with Volleyball Canada to conjure up fresh themes and ideas. Choosing the right concept is a delicate balance between creating something unique and yet still cohesive with the existing Nationals apparel. Unique, trendy and long-lasting are all words that came to mind during this blueprint phase. 

Expressing her passion for this project, Carolina says, “My favourite thing about the Nationals merch is seeing people wearing it after the fact. I think it’s really cool to see that people are proud at the event but when their pride continues afterwards, that is ultimately a goal of mine”. Achieving this comes with consciously factoring in colour choices and the technical details of the design. The effort and care that goes into this entire process is made worth it when we see players still wearing their Nationals apparel at other competitions year-round. 

We always try to pay homage to Volleyball Canada’s national team by using overlapping elements, including number fonts, logos and VC’s establishing date. The theme for 2025 was Canadian pride. “We wanted to create a design that would connect all of these teams, from the west coast to the east coast, and everywhere in-between” says Carolina. Ultimately, we landed on a classic map of Canada, integrating a volleyball net to represent the nation-wide reach of the Nationals event. 

A lot of time is spent curating a unique colour palette every year. Colours that do well at previous competitions are brought back in varying versions, like the forest green crewneck sweater from last year, which is back in a hoodie version for 2025. A new, never-used-before colour in this year’s palette is our classic pink, which was a smash hit with our models during the apparel photoshoot. Each year, we make sure to select a few Nationals apparel colours that are exclusively available during the *PRESALE*.

About the *PRESALE*: 

The *PRESALE* for Volleyball Canada Youth Nationals event merchandise opens on March 18th on volleyballstuff.net. The *PRESALE* is a great way to ensure you can grab the apparel you want in your colour and size. Don’t worry, we’ll have well-stocked booths at each Nationals event, but the *PRESALE* is the best way to guarantee you’ll get your colour and size before the booth starts selling out! It also means not having to wait or waste your down-time waiting in line. You can show up to the event already decorated in your trendy merchandise! 

Why else should you shop the presale? There are apparel items that are exclusively available during presale and no other time! These include the pink crewneck, ash long sleeve, royal blue hoodie, and the maroon quarter zip.  

Never accidentally swap sweaters with your teammates again! Exclusively during the *PRESALE*, you can add your name and number to your merchandise. This customization perk won’t be available at the events.

We’re super excited to see everyone at Nationals this year. Remember skip the line, shop the *PRESALE*! 

At vbs apparel and Volleyball Stuff, we know that one of the top concerns sports organizations have is making sure their sports uniform sizing is perfect. We get it! No one wants to be eagerly awaiting their competition uniform, only to receive it just before their first game and have it turn out to be too large or small. Luckily, we have solutions for you!

When you order a custom sports uniform or other piece of athletic apparel from us, you can be sure that you’ll get the right fit, every time. Whether you’re ordering directly through our customer service representatives, or we’re setting up a custom online store for your team members to order from directly, we always include complete sizing guides for all apparel pieces on offer.

How do I use a size chart?

It’s math, not magic, we promise!

A size chart provides the measurements of a garment when it’s smoothed out on a flat surface. Tops are usually measured two ways: The chest is measured from armpit to armpit, and also from shoulder to bottom hem to get the full length of the piece.

How will I know if those measurements are going to be a comfortable fit on my body?

There are two ways to take a measurement that will ensure you get a good fit: measuring your body, or measuring a garment you like.

• Measuring your body: When measuring your chest circumference, it’s important to make sure that the measuring tape is sitting horizontally around the fullest part of your torso—a slant or tilt can alter the measurement a surprising amount! Get someone to help you measure, or watch in the mirror to make sure the measuring tape is horizontal. Make sure the measuring tape is snug, but not constricting.
• To measure your torso length, the measuring tape should be held at the top of your shoulder, measuring down to the top of your hip bone, or wherever you prefer your shirt hem to sit.

Why overthink it? If you want to know what size top will be the best fit for you, measure one of your own garments which you already find comfortable.

• Lay the piece flat and smoothed out, but not stretched.
• Measure from armpit to armpit, doubling that number to achieve a total chest circumference. (Watch out! Some size charts use the “lying flat” number for chest measurements, others will double that number to get the total circumference measurement. Make sure you know which one you’re looking at!)
• Measure from the highest point of the shoulder down to the hem for the total shirt length.
• If you’re measuring sleeve length, make sure you’re taking the same measurement that the size chart you’re looking at is using—some charts will measure the sleeve length from the underarm to the cuff, others from the top of the shoulder.

Then, it’s simple to select the size that most closely matches the measurements of your favourite shirt!

Of course, sometimes what you really want is just to try on a couple sizes to make sure you get the most comfortable fit. Luckily, vbs apparel has solutions! Where time permits, we can send your team a try-on kit with the full range of sizes in the gear you’ve selected. You and your group can try everything on to make sure that you are all confident in your size selections.

We can even make a whole night of it! If you’re hosting an open house, registration night, or fundraiser event, vbs apparel can set up a sizing booth where players can try on uniforms and warm-up gear at the start of the season. It can also be a great chance for excited athletes and families to get their hands on custom decorated sports gear, spirit wear, and merchandise! Just get in contact with us, and we can help you achieve your organization’s vision!

With vbs apparel’s support, getting the perfect fit for your sports uniforms is a breeze. In our over 25 years of providing sports uniforms, athletic apparel, and merchandise to all kinds of organizations, we’ve developed the expertise to help provide solutions that will ensure your apparel meets all your needs. Our dedicated customer service representatives and account managers are available to assist you in finding the right sizing solution for you!

What kind of apparel will the recipient truly want?

Make sure that you consider what apparel the recipient will actually want. No one wants to receive a low-quality, ugly t-shirt as a “gift”—such a poorly thought out item will surely do the opposite of making your team members feel valued, and lower your business’ standing in the eyes of a client. Consider things like the following:

• Work environment: Does your staff work in an office that runs cold? Maybe a cozy quarter-zip sweater would see a lot of use. Or does your team work outside in the sun? A branded bucket hat or performance long-sleeve shirt might be a welcome gift.
• Workplace culture and standards: Are you a casual and relaxed work environment? Or do you keep a more professional dress code? Give your staff members something they can easily wear to work, whether that’s a graphic sweatshirt for the relaxed office or a tastefully decorated soft-shell jacket or fleece vest for the business casual environment.
• Tie-in to workplace benefits: Do you offer a gym membership as a work benefit? Branded workout clothes could be a real boost to the value of your benefits package.
• Quality expectations: Make sure that the product quality you select matches the value you place on your team members. We have dozens of product suppliers offering different textures, materials, and features; your team members will appreciate it when you’ve chosen something for them that feels premium and conveys quality.

How can I make sure the design quality reflects my company standards?

Make sure the graphic design of your apparel is attractive, professional, and elevates your brand—just slapping your logo onto a t-shirt isn’t enough. We have top-quality graphic designers on staff who can help you achieve your creative vision for your apparel. It can be as simple as thoughtfully designing something minimalist and clean based on your provided logos, or we can create brand new fully custom graphics for you.

I’m interested in learning more!

Curious to know more about what vbs apparel can do for you? Take a look at this case study about what we were able to provide for Mowi Canada. We can also can set up a custom online store for you, allowing your team members to order their own choices from the options you select. We do all the hosting, order-taking, customer service, and order fulfillment; all you need to do is send your team members the link and let them place their own orders, whether they’re paying for their own purchases or you’re picking up the tab as a gift to them. Click here to see an example of our Custom Online Store and the kinds of products we can make for you!

Our dedicated customer service representatives are ready to help you with any other questions you may have, or to help you get started with your order!