How to Make an AYSO soccer team banner

Back to School and Fall signals the start of the AYSO Soccer season here, and this year I did the team banner. I had a hard time finding instructions or tips on how to create the banner, even online, so I documented my method for my fellow soccer moms out there. Making the banner costs way less than buying one, especially if you can use coupons at the local fabric store!

Banner Dimensions: mine are 72 in. width by 34-36 in. height; I've seen other teams with slightly smaller ones, around 60 in. width by 36 in. height.

Support Material:

• PVC pipe supports - use 1 in. PVC pipe
• 2 vertical supports, 48-60 in. long
• 1 horizontal support, 60-72 in. long
• 2 elbow (L-shaped) PVC connectors for the 1" pipe
• 2 metal rebar poles, about 24 in. long

Fabric: The idea is to use fabric that will stand up to outdoor use/windy conditions, and doesn't fray at the edges. Some options I found at the fabric store are vinyl, pleather, felt, and white windowshade material. Another heavy duty fabric choice would be cotton duck, but the edges would fray and need to be hemmed (or you can use Fray-Check). You want to choose colors that go with your team uniform colors. They have limited color choices at the store but black, gray/silver, or white are good for a background. You can add your team colors in the decorations. I chose pleather (a fake leather) because it was cheaper than vinyl; also light does not show through it.

• Banner background material - Black Pleather 54" wide, 2 1/4 yds
• Decoration material - Silver Pleather 54" wide, 1/4 to 1/2 yd
• Decoration material - White Pleather 54" wide, 1/4 to 1/2 yd

Banner Construction: Sew or glue up a 4 in. hem. Turn the sides in 3 1/4 in. Turn the top edge down 4 1/4 in. Cut out the corners where the turn downs overlap. Stitch or glue the sides at the edge only, leaving a pocket for the PVC tube to slip in. Stitch or glue down the top in the same way, leaving a pocket for the PVC rod.

Graphics: I used free clip art. Print, then enlarge via copy machine in sections to the size desired. Piece together the sections to make a pattern for the graphic.

Soccer Ball Graphics: Cut out a paper circle of the desired size as a template. Draw in a couple of pentagons and partial pentagons, with lines connecting the corners. I used a preexisting picture of a soccer ball to get the right look. Poke small holes at the corners of the pentagons. Place the template on fabric, trace the circle and use a permanent marker to mark small dots through the holes where the points should be. Cut out the circles and fill in the pentagons and lines with marker or fabric paint.

Lettering: Block lettering is easy to do via Microsoft Word, and you can download and use free fun fonts from the Internet. After you install the font needed, use the "Wordart" function in Word. Type in the letters of your text (I do about 3-4 letters at a time) and resize the text box until it's big enough. Then print and use the paper letters as a template to cut out your fabric.

Main Lettering: Block letters around 6 inches height are a good size for visibility. Cut block letters out of white material.

Team Members Names: 2 1/2 to 3 inches height is a good size. First names only. Cut block letters out of the silver material.

Coaches' Names: 2 1/2 to 3 inches height is also a good size for these. Cut block letters out of white material.

Glue: Use a good fabric/vinyl glue. Tape the graphics and lettering in place until the arrangement is satisfactory, then go back and glue everything down.

To Assemble the Banner on Game Day: Use a mallet or hammer to drive rebar stakes into the ground, banner width apart. With the banner flat on the ground, slide the long top support pipe through the banner top, then slide the two side supports down each side. Connect the pipes with the L-connector. Slide the support pipes over the rebar.

After the season: If you are clever in your design and placement of the kids' names, you can cut out each name (along with any design elements) and present it to the kids as a keepsake of their season. Here is an example of one from my son's first season.