Kids' & Grassroots Football Medals: A Club Secretary's Guide
If you're the club secretary at a grassroots football club, ordering kids' football medals probably lands on your desk every spring. It's a job that looks small but involves names, numbers, ribbons, budgets and a deadline you can't move.
For young children, a medal on a ribbon is something they can wear straight away, show their family and hang on a bedroom wall. It's often the first sporting award they ever receive, so it matters more than adults sometimes realise. Medals are also practical for clubs: affordable, easy to hand out to a whole squad at once and simple to store if you order a few spares.
This guide is a practical checklist for getting medals for every child in the club, from under-6s to under-16s, without the last-minute panic. It covers medal styles, ribbons, engraving, quantities, cost and timing.
Choosing a medal style
- Football-specific medals – a ball, boot or player design in the centre.
- Generic medals with a centre disc – a blank recess that takes a football centre or your club crest.
- Gold, silver and bronze finishes – useful if you want different colours for tournament placings.
- Bespoke or custom medals with your logo – available on request for clubs that want something unique.
Ribbons, sizes and presentation
Medals usually come with a ribbon in a choice of colours. Picking your club colours is an easy win. For the youngest children, check the ribbon length suits small necks and isn't too long.
Medal sizes vary by design, so check the product listing for the diameter. A larger medal feels more substantial, which can help if you're using medals in place of trophies for named awards.
Presentation matters more than you might think. Handing each child their medal individually, with their name read out, turns a simple award into a proper moment. If time is short, coaches can present medals to the whole team on the pitch at the last training session, with photos for the families.
How many medals do you need?
Take your registered players for each team, add the coaches if they're getting one, then add two or three spares per team for late sign-ups, lost medals and siblings who turn up on the night.
For example, a club with six junior teams of 12 players needs 72 medals, plus around 12–18 spares. At that quantity you're well into bulk territory, where the per-medal price drops.
Don't forget the people who keep the club running. Some clubs add a medal or small award for each coach, referee or volunteer who has given up their weekends. It's a small extra cost that goes a long way towards keeping helpers coming back next season.
Engraving kids' football medals
Engraving is usually on the back of the medal. A short layout works best: the child's name, the club or team, and the season. For example: Ella Hughes / U9 Lions / 2025/26.
Check the characters per line on the product listing. If a name is long, consider a first name only or initials with surname. Free engraving is included on qualifying orders.
If you'd rather not engrave every medal, a neat alternative is to engrave only the club name and season on the back of all medals, so they're identical and easy to reorder. That keeps the admin simple and still gives each child a lasting keepsake from their season.
A simple timeline for club secretaries
The easiest way to avoid a last-minute scramble is to work backwards from your presentation date. Here's a timeline that suits most grassroots clubs.
- Six weeks before: confirm the date and venue, and ask each coach for a final squad list.
- Five weeks before: agree the budget with the committee and choose a medal design and ribbon colour.
- Four weeks before: collect names and spellings, then request your quote with the full list.
- Three to four weeks before: approve the quote and engraving so production can start.
- One week before: check the order against your list and bag the medals up by team.
Medals for tournaments and festivals
Many grassroots clubs also host a summer tournament or festival, and medals are the standard award there too. The difference is that you often don't know the winners in advance, so engraving every medal isn't practical.
For tournaments, most clubs order unengraved medals in gold, silver and bronze, or a single participation medal for every child at mini-soccer level where results aren't the focus. A small trophy for each winning team completes the set. Our tournament trophy checklist helps you work out exact quantities.
Cost and timing
Medals on our site range from £1.25 to £9.75, with a typical design around £2. We beat catalogue prices and offer progressive discounts at roughly 25, 50 and 100+ items, so a whole-club order is the best value.
Standard items usually dispatch in 3–7 working days, and larger bulk orders typically take 10–14 working days. Kirsty K. told us: “We placed a last minute order and it was ready within an hour.” That's a nice story, but plan ahead where you can. Send your numbers on WhatsApp for a free quote, and we'll confirm timing with it.
Get a free quote for kids football medals
Tell us what you need on WhatsApp — we beat catalogue prices, and bigger orders get bigger discounts.
Frequently asked questions
How much do kids' football medals cost?
Medals on our site start from £1.25, and a typical medal costs around £2 before bulk discount. The price depends on the design, size and whether you add a custom centre or engraving. Larger orders qualify for progressive discounts.
Should grassroots football clubs give medals or trophies?
Many clubs give every child a medal and add trophies for a few named awards per team. Medals are affordable, easy to hand out to large squads and children can wear them straight away. Trophies then mark out the special awards.
Can I get football medals with our club badge?
Yes, custom medals with your logo or club badge are available on request. Send us a clear image of your crest with your quote request and we'll advise on the options. Bespoke designs can take longer, so allow extra time.
What should be engraved on a child's football medal?
Keep it short: the child's name, team or age group, and the season, such as Ella Hughes, U9 Lions, 2025/26. Check the product listing for the characters per line so the wording fits without abbreviating.
How many spare medals should a club order?
Two or three spares per team is a sensible rule. They cover late sign-ups, lost medals and siblings who come along on the night. Order spares unengraved so they can be reused.