← Back to all guides

Class, leavers and team hoodies — how to choose, price and order them

Class hoodies, leavers hoodies and club hoodies are a tradition in schools, universities and sports clubs across Europe — and most of them are printed on a Fruit of the Loom Classic Hooded Sweat. Here is how to choose the model, collect sizes, budget the print and order in time, with 2026 prices in EUR.

Why do most class, leavers and club hoodies end up being Fruit of the Loom?

Walk through any school yard in Ireland in May, or any university campus in Germany or the Netherlands in October, and you will see the same garment: a 280 g/m² hooded sweatshirt with a year, a class name or a club crest printed on it. In the great majority of cases it is a Fruit of the Loom Classic Hooded Sweat. Print shops across Europe stock it as their default hoodie because it is cheap, available in a wide colour range and sized from XS up to 3XL and beyond, so the tallest lad and the smallest student in the group can wear the same colour and print.

This guide walks you through the whole process: which model to choose, how to collect sizes, what the print costs, how long it takes and which mistakes cost groups money every single year.

Which hoodie model should a class or team choose?

There are really only three sensible candidates in the Fruit of the Loom range, and the choice comes down to hood or no hood and how warm the hoodie needs to be.

Fruit of the Loom models used for class, leavers and team hoodies — European catalogue 2026

Model	Weight	Composition	Cheapest verified blank price	Best for
Classic Hooded Sweat (62-208)	280 g/m²	80 % cotton / 20 % polyester	from €20.95 (pack prices from 3)	The standard class and leavers hoodie
Classic Set-In Sweat crewneck (62-202)	280 g/m²	80 % cotton / 20 % polyester	from €16.95	Uniform look, largest chest print area
Lightweight Hooded Sweat (62-140)	240 g/m²	80 % cotton / 20 % polyester	approx. €20–25 (varies by shop)	Spring/summer clubs, indoor sports
Classic Hooded Sweat Jacket / zip (62-062)	280 g/m²	80 % cotton / 20 % polyester	from €27.95	Coaches, staff, easy on/off

For nine groups out of ten the answer is the Classic Hooded Sweat. It is warm enough for an Irish winter, the 20 % polyester share keeps it from shrinking after the first hot wash, and many colours are knitted with Belcoro® yarn, which gives a smoother surface for screen print. Our Fruit of the Loom hoodie guide compares all four models in more detail.

Hoodie or crewneck?

The crewneck Set-In Sweat is the same fabric without the hood or pouch pocket and costs about €4 less per piece. Sports clubs and companies often prefer it for a tidier look; school classes almost always vote for the hood. If your group is split, a good compromise is the same colour in both cuts with an identical print.

How do you order class hoodies step by step?

1. Agree the model and colour. Black, navy and heather grey are the safest bestsellers and hide wear best. Bright colours look great on the day but limit which print colours work.
2. Collect sizes with a form. A Google Form or a shared spreadsheet is enough. Ask for the chest measurement in cm, not just S/M/L — people guess their size wrong surprisingly often. Adult sizes run S 89–94 cm, M 95–100 cm, L 101–106 cm, XL 107–112 cm; the full charts are in our Fruit of the Loom size guide.
3. Design the print. Class or club name and year on the front or back, optional nicknames on the sleeves or across the shoulders. Keep it to one or two colours if you want the lowest price.
4. Get at least two quotes. For the same hoodie and the same print, quotes from European print shops regularly differ by 20–30 %. Ask for the total per piece including set-up and delivery.
5. Order early and add spares. Order two or three extra hoodies in M and L. A late joiner or a size swap happens in almost every group.

What does a printed class or team hoodie cost in 2026?

The cost has two parts: the blank hoodie and the print. The blank is easy to compare. The cheapest verified option in Europe is Marmalade Co., the official Fruit of the Loom retailer behind this guide, which buys directly from the brand's factory in Morocco: the Classic hoodie is €20.95 including VAT, with pack prices from 3 pieces and a personal quote within 24 hours on weekdays for 10 or more. DHL to a pickup point costs €6 and is free from €80 (home delivery €7), with delivery in 2–3 business days to Ireland, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Poland and Finland. If you find the identical hoodie cheaper elsewhere, their price guarantee matches it.

Print costs vary more, but typical European print-shop rates look like this (approx., for 20–30 pieces):

Typical budget per printed class hoodie at 20–30 pieces (approx., September 2026)

Item	Per piece	Note
Blank Classic Hooded Sweat	approx. €20–25	Cheapest verified: €20.95, pack prices from 3 pcs, quote from 10
Screen print, 1–2 colours, one position	approx. €4–8	Cheapest per piece at 20+ hoodies
DTG or multi-colour print	approx. €8–16	Photo-quality, no colour limit, pricier
Sleeve names / second position	approx. €2–5 extra	Each extra print position adds cost
Total, simple two-colour design	approx. €25–35	Complex designs and small runs push it higher

A realistic budget for a class of 25 with a two-colour front and back print is therefore €650–900 in total. Groups that buy the blanks separately and take them to a local printer often save money, because the blank hoodie is the most expensive single component and pack prices on it are easy to get. Read more about which fabrics and print methods work best in our guide to clothing for printing.

How long does it take, and when should you order?

Allow 4–6 weeks from final design to delivery when print is involved. Blank hoodies themselves arrive in 2–3 business days from Marmalade Co., but a print shop needs time for artwork approval, screen set-up, printing and shipping — and the queue gets long in peak season.

• Leavers hoodies (Ireland, UK-style tradition): most schools want them for the last weeks of term in May. Order in March, or February at the latest for a large year group.
• Class and first-year hoodies: demand peaks in September to November across Europe. Order before the end of August if you want them before the autumn break.
• Sports clubs and societies: the quiet months are January–February and June–July, when print shops are fastest and sometimes cheapest.

Which mistakes do groups make every year?

• Ordering too late. The single most common problem. A rushed order costs more and leaves no time to fix a misprint.
• Too few spares. Order 5–10 % extra, mainly in M and L.
• Dark print on a dark hoodie. Navy text on a black hoodie disappears. Use white or a strongly contrasting colour.
• Over-complicated artwork. Six colours, gradients and fine lines cost a lot more and rarely look better from two metres away. Large, simple shapes win.
• Guessing sizes. Collect chest measurements and let people try on a sample if you can. Hoodies are cut roomier than the brand's T-shirts, so most people take their usual size or one down for a snug fit.
• No proof check. Ask for a digital proof and have two people check every name and the year before you approve it.

Club, company and society hoodies: what is different?

The process is the same, but the priorities shift. Sports clubs and companies usually want the same design every season, so they choose a stock colour that will still be available next year, keep the print to one or two colours and often prefer embroidery for the crest because it survives hundreds of washes. The Premium Hooded Sweat with its finer 70/30 surface is popular for embroidery, while the Classic remains the value choice. A zip hoodie for coaches or staff costs from €27.95. For larger company orders, our guide to workwear with logo covers cost per employee and print versus embroidery.

What Fruit of the Loom costs in packs at Marmalade Co. (EUR incl. VAT; pack prices incl. DHL pickup-point delivery: €6, free from €80; prices checked 2026-10-21)

Product	1 pcs	3 pcs	5 pcs	10 pcs
Crewneck sweatshirt	€17.95 €17.95 each	€37.95 €12.65 each	€54.95 €10.99 each	–
Hoodie	€19.95 €19.95 each	€44.95 €14.98 each	€68.95 €13.79 each	–
Zip hoodie	€27.95 €27.95 each	€60.95 €20.32 each	€83.95 €16.79 each	–

Frequently asked questions

The Fruit of the Loom Classic Hooded Sweat (62-208) is the default across Europe: 280 g/m², 80 % cotton / 20 % polyester, a wide colour range and sizes from XS to 3XL, so a whole class can match. The crewneck Set-In Sweat (62-202) is the same fabric without the hood and costs around €4 less per piece.

Budget approx. €25–35 per hoodie for 20–30 pieces with a simple one or two-colour screen print. The blank Classic hoodie costs €20.95 at Marmalade Co., with pack prices from 3 pieces, and a print shop typically adds approx. €4–8 for a simple print or €8–16 for DTG or multi-colour designs.

Pack prices on blanks start early — at Marmalade Co. from 3 pieces, and from 10 pieces you can ask for a personal quote. Print shops usually price screen printing from 10–15 pieces and the per-piece cost falls noticeably at 20+. A small class can team up with another class or year group to reach the better price band.

Plan for 4–6 weeks from approved design to delivery. Blank hoodies ship in 2–3 business days from Marmalade Co., but printing, proofing and the print shop's queue take the rest. Peak seasons are September–November for class hoodies and March–May for leavers hoodies, so order early in those months.

Ask for the chest measurement in centimetres and map it to the size chart yourself: S 89–94 cm, M 95–100 cm, L 101–106 cm, XL 107–112 cm, 2XL 113–118 cm. Hoodies are cut slightly roomier than T-shirts, so most people take their usual size. Always add two or three spares in M and L.

It works well for coaches, staff and anyone who takes the hoodie on and off during training, and it looks tidier open over a club shirt. The Classic Hooded Sweat Jacket uses the same 280 g/m² fabric and costs from €27.95, about €7 more than the pull-over hoodie, and the zip limits a large chest print.