guide
How to Convince Your School to Buy New Track Uniforms
Quick answer: Don't ask for new uniforms because the old ones look bad. Bring your coach a short written case: what is failing (with photos), how many athletes it affects, what a replacement costs per season, and who could pay for it. Your coach takes that to the athletic director. Start now, because spring track uniforms need to be approved and ordered well before the first meet.
One post on r/trackandfield says what a lot of athletes are thinking: the material is cheap and thin, the shorts are see-through and fall down, and the logo is chipping off the singlet without ever being washed.
If that's your team, you have a fair complaint. You also have a problem: the person who can fix it has a budget, a dozen other programs asking for money, and a closet full of uniforms that technically still exist. Here is how to make the case in a way that person can say yes to.
Who actually decides
Most athletes aim the request at the wrong person, or at nobody. At most schools it runs like this:
- Your head coach knows the inventory and makes the request. Nothing moves without them.
- The athletic director controls the athletic budget and often the uniform rotation.
- The booster club can fund what the budget can't, usually through a request process.
- Parents have more pull with boosters and administrators than athletes do. Use them.
So your first job isn't to convince the school. It's to convince your coach, and then hand them something they can forward. Go to them privately and go with captains if you can. A coach who feels ambushed in front of the team won't help you. Remember too that your coach may already have asked and been told no. Ask what happened, and what would change the answer.
Find out if your sport is on a rotation
Many athletic departments replace uniforms on a schedule, so your best first question is: when is track due? The schedules vary. One booster club, the Cardinal Club, says it will consider a uniform replacement request once every three years per team. Others run on a longer cycle or have no written plan at all.
The answer tells you which argument to make:
- Due soon: you aren't asking for a favor. You are helping make sure the order happens on time and gets done right.
- Not due for years: you need the evidence below, because you're asking for an exception.
- No rotation at all: propose one. A schedule is easier for an AD to approve than a one-time emergency, and it protects the next group of athletes too.
Build the case: evidence beats complaints
"These are embarrassing" is an opinion. A one-page inventory is hard to argue with. Spend one practice going through the bin with your coach, and write down what you find.
| What to document | How to show it | Why it matters to an AD |
|---|---|---|
| See-through fabric | Note which pieces and colors. Have a coach handle this one and don't photograph anyone wearing them. | Student dignity, and parent complaints the school would rather not get |
| Waistbands that won't stay up | Count the shorts with blown elastic or missing drawcords | Athletes can't compete in gear they have to hold up |
| Peeling logos and numbers | Photos of the garment on a table | The school's name is on it in public |
| Missing sizes | Count uniforms by size against your actual roster | Some athletes have nothing that fits, which is the strongest point on this list |
| Mismatched sets | Lay out your relay squads' tops and bottoms | This can become a rules issue, covered below |
| Age | The year they were bought, if anyone knows | Lines up with any replacement cycle |
Be honest in this inventory. If half the uniforms are fine, say so. You may get further asking to replace the shorts and fill the size gaps than asking for everything. A coach can defend a precise request.
Check the rules before you use them as an argument
Be careful here, because a claim you can't back up will sink the rest of your case. High school uniform rules come from the NFHS track and cross country uniform rules, and your state association may publish its own guidance. Kansas posts a 2026 legal uniform sheet, for example.
Two points from those documents are worth raising with your coach. Uniforms have to be school-issued or school-approved, so buying your own shorts isn't automatically a fix unless the school signs off. The Kansas sheet also says relay teammates must wear the same color and design, so a bin of mismatched leftovers can create a real problem on a relay. Rules change, so have your coach check the current rulebook before quoting anything. We wrote more about this in our guide to cross country uniform rules.
Turn it into a number
An AD's first question will be cost, so answer it before it's asked. Spread the price over the seasons the uniforms will last.
Here's the math using one published example: our track and XC bundles include a race kit (top and training short) listed at $75 a set. Check the page for current bundles and pricing, and ask for a real quote for your own order.
| Example | Figure |
|---|---|
| Race kits for a 30-athlete team at $75 | $2,250 before shipping |
| Spread over 4 seasons | About $563 a season |
| Per athlete, per season | About $19 |
Your roster and rotation will change those numbers, so run your own. The point is that "$19 per athlete per season" is a different conversation than "$2,250." If the full amount is too much, offer a smaller option: replace only the failing shorts, or buy for the size gaps this year and finish next year.
What to ask for in the new uniforms
If you get a yes, don't let the same problems come back. These are the things to check, and they match the complaints that started all this.
- Opaque fabric. Hold the material up to a light and put your hand behind it, especially in white and pale colors. A well-made uniform can still be sheer in a light color, so ask for a sample before you commit. Our Help Center notes that larger programs can ask a rep about a sample kit.
- A waistband that holds. Look for wide elastic and a drawcord. Our men's and women's training shorts use both.
- Logos that can't peel. A chipping logo is sitting on top of the fabric. On a sublimated uniform the design is dyed into the fabric instead, so there's nothing to flake off. Our sublimation vs screen printing guide covers the trade-offs.
- Tops athletes will wear. Runners don't all want the same cut. Many teams order fitted and loose tops in one design. See track singlet vs tank top.
- Real sizing. Size off the actual roster using the men's and women's track and XC size guides, and keep some extras for next year's newcomers.
Who can pay if the budget says no
"There's no money" is often where this ends, and it shouldn't be. There are a few ways through it.
Boosters. Ask how to submit a request and what the deadline is. Your one-page case is exactly what they'll want to see. If your school has no track parents at the table, that is a good job for a parent to take on.
A fundraiser. Your coach can run a spirit wear store with margin added, so sales raise money for the program. Our online stores are free to open, with no inventory to buy, and we ship orders straight to the buyer. Here's how fan stores work.
Sponsors. A local business may cover a set in exchange for a thank-you on a banner or in the program. Check school policy first, including whether a sponsor can appear on a uniform.
One caution for parents: don't assume families can simply be asked to pay. Rules on charging students for required uniforms differ by state and district. One California district's booster guidelines, for example, say the school must provide a free uniform to team members. Ask your AD what applies at your school.
When to ask
Timing can sink a good request. Ask in March and you may be too late for that season. At Compound, bulk delivery runs 4 to 6 weeks once art is approved and payment is received, and the approvals before that can take longer than the production does. We lay it out in how long custom uniforms take.
For spring track, take your case to your coach this fall or early winter. That leaves time for the AD, the boosters, a design and a size list before your first meet. If the order is ready to go, a coach can request a quote or start a quick quote for track and XC, and our designers will send free design mockups for the AD to look at. Seeing the actual uniform in school colors can do more than the spreadsheet.
A note you can copy
Change the details and hand this to your coach:
Coach, a few of us went through the uniform bin. We have [number] uniforms for [number] athletes. [Number] pairs of shorts have failed waistbands or thin fabric, and we have no [sizes]. Photos and a full count are attached. Could we find out when track is next due for new uniforms, and whether it would help if we brought the boosters an estimate? We'd be glad to help with a fundraiser.
That note is polite and specific, and it offers to help. It's also hard to ignore.
Frequently asked questions
How do I ask my coach for new track uniforms?
Talk to your coach privately, with captains if you can, and bring facts: how many uniforms you have, how many have failed, and which sizes are missing. Ask when track is next due for new uniforms and offer to help with a fundraiser. A short written note gives your coach something to forward to the athletic director.
What can I do about see-through track shorts right now?
Tell your coach, since they can often swap the pair or find a darker one. Ask about wearing compression shorts or another garment under the uniform, and have your coach check the current NFHS rulebook and state association guidance so that whatever you wear is legal at meets.
How often should a school replace track uniforms?
There is no single standard. Each athletic department or booster club sets its own schedule, and some publish one. Ask your AD where track falls. If there is no rotation, proposing one can be easier to approve than a one-time request.
Can boosters pay for new track uniforms?
Often, yes, but it depends on your booster club and on school and state rules. Ask for the request process and the deadline, then bring photos, a size count and an estimate. Your coach or AD should be part of the request, since uniforms usually have to be school-issued or school-approved.
Can I just buy my own track uniform?
Not without talking to your coach. NFHS rules call for a school-issued or school-approved uniform, so a uniform you buy yourself may not count unless the school approves it. Relay teams also have requirements about matching, so ask your coach to check the current rules first.