Custom Sports Gifts for Your School Athletic Program
Plan every recognition moment before the season starts
Running a high school athletic program means managing a full calendar of recognition moments across every sport you field: senior nights, end-of season banquets, coach appreciation events, achievement milestones, and the season-opening traditions that set the tone for the year. Make-A-Ball is the custom sports keepsake company built to serve all of those moments at the program level: one source, one design team, one production standard, for every sport your school fields. Made in Baltimore. No minimum order.
Every major sport in your program has a keepsake specifically designed for it. A custom photo football for the senior night ceremony on your home field. A custom photo basketball for the senior night walk at center court. A custom megaphone for the cheer squad's senior night recognition. A custom photo soccer ball for the senior day presentation at the pitch. A custom photo volleyball for the senior night walk across the gym floor a family has attended for four years. Each product is designed with the individual athlete's game photo, jersey number, position, and a personal inscription, made one at a time, for one athlete, with no minimum order.
For occasions that span multiple sports at once (a booster club fundraiser, a season-opening giveaway, a homecoming week spirit event), Make A-Ball produces custom photo blankets, rally towels, and photo banners that work program-wide rather than sport-specific. Player banners are a particularly strong senior night option: a full-size personalized banner featuring the athlete's photo, name, number, and school that is displayed at the ceremony and then taken home as a permanent keepsake. These multi-sport products give athletic departments a single product to deploy across every sport on the calendar without sport-specific redesigns.
For programs ordering matching products for a full roster or a fan giveaway, the Team Shop is built for orders of 12 or more pieces of the same product with the same artwork. Team Shop orders are not individualized; they carry one shared design for the full group, making them the right format for pep rally giveaways, spirit packs, booster club fundraisers, and team-wide season openers. Minimum quantity of 12 per order. Contact us for program-level pricing on large quantity Team Shop orders.
Athletic directors who partner with Make-A-Ball through the Official Senior Gift Partner Program receive the Captain tier, the highest level in our loyalty program and the only tier built specifically for Athletic Directors. Captain benefits include 40% off your personal purchases, a school-specific discount code giving your entire community 25% off, three free sample balls per year to distribute to coaches before ordering begins, and a quarterly giveback calculated from every order placed under your school's code. Purchase orders accepted for school-funded orders.
Over 54,000 five-star reviews from families, coaches, and programs across every sport. Read what they say.
Shop By Occasion
Senior Nights and Senior Days
The year's highest-volume occasion. Custom balls, megaphones, and banners personalized to each senior athlete. Sport-specific design guides for every program.
Coach Gifts
Coach appreciation events, end-of-season banquets, and career milestones. Custom balls with team photo, season record, player names, and signatures on the back panel.
Player Gifts
MVP awards, Player of the Week recognition, state championship commemoratives, and achievement milestones. Custom balls and display products that carry more impact than a plaque.
Team Gifts
Championship seasons, undefeated runs, end-of-season banquet keepsakes, and roster-wide gifts. Custom balls, blankets, and towels for the whole team -- one order, every player.
Milestones and Awards
Gold and silver awards balls for MVP, championship, and career record recognition. Photo sports balls for individual milestone moments like the 1,000-point basketball milestone.
Banners and Displays
Full-color photo banners for gym walls, game-day fences, and hallways. Available in 18"x36", 36"x72", and 72"x144". All-over photo printing. Ships in 7-14 business days.
Pep Rallies and School Spirit
Mini megaphones for cheer squads and student sections. Rally towels for stadiums and gyms. Photo banners for the pep rally stage and hallways. Everything that makes a school loud.
Shop All Products
Browse the full Make-A-Ball catalog -- every sport, every product, every occasion. Custom balls, banners, megaphones, towels, blankets, and awards balls all in one place.
THE OFFICIAL SENIOR GIFT PARTNER PROGRAM
The Captain tier is the only level in Make-A-Ball's loyalty program built exclusively for Athletic Directors. Join and your school gets its own discount code, your athletes get a better product experience, and your athletic fund earns back every quarter.
- ✓ 40% off all personal purchases — the highest discount in the program, cannot be combined with seasonal promotions.
- ✓ School discount code at 25% off — parents, coaches and boosters receive discounts.
- ✓ 3 free sample balls per year — your choice of sports, to put in coaches' hands before the ordering window opens.
- ✓ Quarterly giveback to your athletic fund — loyalty points paid every quarter.
- ✓ Digital marketing materials — ready-to-share graphics and promotional copy.
- ✓ Purchase orders accepted — no credit card required for school-funded orders.
How It Works
Select your product and design
Select your product, size, and design. Upload your photo or logo. Submit the athlete's name, number, position, and any other information you would like included. For banners, submit your team photo and program details. Our designers do the rest.
Approve your proof
Our design team reviews every order we receive. Within 24 hours, we build a digital proof and send it to you for your approval. Check all details to make sure they are correct. No product goes to production without your final approval.
Receive before your occasion
Custom sports balls and spirit products ship in 7-10 business days from proof approval. Banners and awards balls ship in 7-14 business days. Shipping from Baltimore adds 1-2 days on the East Coast and up to 4-5 days on the West Coast. Order 3 weeks before your occasion. For full program orders, contact us for a coordinated delivery plan.
What Customers Say
Senior class football order -- Athletic Director
"We purchased footballs for each of our 17 seniors this year. Every player as well as their parents were very happy with them. I spear headed the purchase of the graduating class of 2023. Everyone absolutely loved them. Hence the re-ordering this year. You all are very helpful with our orders and received them just in time. Thank you very much."
Cruz D., Athletic Director
Senior gift order -- Basketball Coach
"The seller was very quick at responding and getting the balls completed plus shipped. Once the balls arrived, they looked great and just as expected!! Highly recommend this as a gift or senior table."
Samantha B., Basketball Coach
Senior class soccer order -- Booster Club
"Great product! The kids loved these soccer balls!! They were the perfect senior gifts!"
Harold B., Booster Club
Athletic director ideas & inspiration
How to Coordinate Senior Night Gifts Across Every Sport in Your Program
The practical coordination guide for ADs -- sport calendar, ordering timeline, and how to communicate the school discount code to coaches and families before each senior night.
Why Athletic Directors Use Make-A-Ball as Their School's Official Keepsake Source
The Captain program explained in full -- benefits, real-dollar examples, and what the quarterly giveback looks like in practice. Everything you need to know before applying.
The Coach Gift That Every Program Should Give at the End of the Season
A custom team ball with the team photo, season record, and every player's name. How to design and coordinate it across every sport in your program so it lands the way it should.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Senior Gift Partner Program for Athletic Directors?
The Senior Gift Partner Program is Make-A-Ball's official school partnership program. Athletic Directors join as Captains and receive a personal 40% discount on all purchases, a school-specific community discount code giving parents, coaches, and boosters 25% off, three free sample balls per year, quarterly loyalty point giveback from all school-code orders, digital marketing materials, and purchase order acceptance. The program is designed to make Make-A-Ball your school's single source for custom sports keepsakes across every sport, every senior class, every year. Learn more and apply here.
Does Make-A-Ball work with multiple sports in one school program?
Yes, and this is the primary reason athletic directors partner with us. Make-A-Ball produces custom photo sports balls for football, basketball, baseball, softball, soccer, volleyball, hockey, lacrosse, field hockey, rugby, golf, and cheer. We also produce custom photo blankets, rally towels, swim and gym towels, football sideline towels, player banners, and water bottles. Every product is available to your school's community through a single discount code with no minimum order on any product.
How does the school discount code work?
When you join the Captain program, Make-A-Ball creates two discount codes for your school: a personal AD code (40% off your own orders) and a school community code (25% off for any parent, coach, or booster who uses it at checkout). Both codes are unique to your school. You share the community code through your existing channels: school newsletter, athletic website, coach distribution, booster club communications. Parents order directly on makeaball.com using the code. No coordination required on your end for individual orders.
What is the Team Shop, and when should I use it?
The Team Shop is Make-A-Ball's bulk ordering section for programs that need 12 or more of the same product with the same artwork. Team Shop orders are not individualized; they carry one shared design across the full quantity. This format is ideal for booster club rally towel giveaways, fan spirit packs, season-opening team gifts, and homecoming week merchandise. For orders below 12 pieces, or for individualized keepsakes where each athlete has their own name and photo, standard product orders with no minimum are the right format. Contact Us for program-level pricing on large Team Shop orders.
Can our school place a purchase order instead of paying by credit card?
Yes. Purchase orders are accepted for school-funded orders. If your athletic department, booster organization, or school administration is funding a team gift order, a senior night order, or any other program-level purchase, we can process it against a PO. Contact Us directly or submit your PO through our purchase order submission page for a quote and draft order number.
How quickly can orders be fulfilled for senior night?
Custom sports balls and most products ship in 7-10 business days from proof approval. Custom softballs, golf balls, and water bottles ship in 5-7 business days. All orders receive a virtual design proof within 24 business hours. For senior night timing, order at least 3 weeks before the ceremony date. Larger orders do not take longer to produce, but they do take longer to approve, since more people weigh in on the proof. Build in extra time for approval, not production. Rush options are often available; Contact Us with your date to confirm.
How long is the design process?
We turnaround virtual mockups within 24 business hours. If you like your design, you can approve it and we will go to production. If not, you have the opportunity to request edits. We usually complete edits same business day, but this process could expand a few days depending on how many rounds of edits.
Where do you ship from?
We ship from Baltimore, MD. So, when ordering, factor in shipping times. Northeast is usually 1-2 business days. Midwest and Southeast are usually 2-3 business days. Central and Mountain are usually 3-4 business days. And West Coast is usually 4-6 business days. We also ship to Alaska, Hawaii, and all International locations.