We make these in Baltimore, which is a reasonable claim to authority on lacrosse keepsakes. The sport grew up here. Half the people in our building have played it, coached it, or spent a spring standing on the sideline at a field in Maryland watching someone's kid play it.
From club ball to varsity, here is what programs give at the end of the year and how to organize it.
The matched roster ball
A custom photo lacrosse ball gives you a print area about 1 3/8” across, the size of a half dollar. Small, which is the point. One team photo, the season, the player's name and number, and nothing else competing for space.
One design across the roster with the name swapped per player is the format that works best. Everyone gets the same thing, which matters on a team where the recognition tends to follow the goal scorers.
Awards worth giving
- Most Valuable Player and Most Improved
- Defensive Player of the Year, and a separate award for the long pole who does the dirty work
- Goalie Award, because that position is a different job entirely
- Faceoff Specialist, an award almost nobody gives and everybody should
- Ground Ball Award for the player whose contribution never shows in a box score
- Teammate of the Year, voted by the roster
- Coach's Award
Design formula for a small surface
Photo or logo, name and number, season and record, mascot. Four elements maximum. On a print area this size, one extra line of text is what makes the whole thing hard to read.
Senior recognition
The simplest approach is the same roster design with her or his years played added. It keeps the presentation table consistent while marking who is leaving. Programs that want a bigger senior moment run it as a separate order alongside senior day rather than folding it into the banquet set.
Coach and staff
Parent-funded, organized by one volunteer, and covering the whole staff rather than just the head coach. A team photo ball with the record and every player's name is the standard. Since there is no minimum order, adding the assistants and the trainer costs nothing extra per unit.
Running the order
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Lock the count including managers and anyone who traveled with the team.
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Collect photos with a hard deadline. This step, not manufacturing, is what runs late.
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Build one template and change only the name per piece.
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Order three weeks before the banquet. Production is 7 to 10 business days from proof approval.
For twelve or more identical pieces with no individual personalization, the Team Shop channel handles it. Individual names and photos go through the custom route.
Timing note
Lacrosse banquets land in May and June, which is one of the two densest windows on our calendar. A program that fixes its date and roster count in April gets a relaxed process. One that starts in the last week of May gets a fast one.
Start your team order at Custom Lacrosse Balls. Designed in Baltimore and made one at a time, backed by over 54,000 five-star reviews.
