Elite vs Club Jerseys: What Does the Extra ₹200 Buy?

By Nishanth, founder of Jaypee Sportswear. Making custom team jerseys since 2012 at our own sublimation unit in Thanjavur. Updated 31 October 2026.

Key takeaways

• The ₹200 gap buys finishes: Elite has UV, wicking and anti-microbial, GRID-E has none.
• GRID-E is a smooth, easy to wash 170 GSM grid micro knit for polos and indoor sports.
• A 15-player order is ₹10,485 in Elite and ₹7,485 in Club.
• A 25-player order is ₹17,475 in Elite and ₹12,475 in Club.
• Players in Elite and officials in GRID-E polos is a practical mixed order.

Elite vs club jersey: should you pay ₹200 more?

Pay the extra ₹200 when your players run hard for long stretches and you want the finishes that come with Elite. Stay with Club at ₹499 when the shirt is a uniform that people wear sitting, standing and walking about as much as playing. That is the plain version of the elite vs club jersey choice.

The Club tier has one fabric, GRID-E. It is a good cloth, but it does not carry the UV protection, moisture-wicking or anti-microbial finishes that both Elite fabrics have. Everything else in this post follows from that single fact.

I tell captains to picture the busiest player on the ground. If that player will be in the kit for ninety minutes of football or a full day of tournament cricket, Elite earns its price. If the busiest player is a badminton partner in an indoor hall, GRID-E is enough.

How do Elite and Club fabrics compare side by side?

Three fabrics cover the two tiers, and the table shows every one. The finish columns are where they separate.

All three are 100% polyester with full sublimation, so the print quality is the same across them. The colours sit inside the fibre and will not crack or peel. What you pay for in Elite is the finish treatment and the knit, and the print does not change.

What do the Elite finishes do that GRID-E does not?

The finishes manage sweat, sun and smell, and GRID-E has none of them. Moisture-wicking moves sweat along the fibre toward the outer surface so it can evaporate, which is basic physics of capillary action in cloth. You can read more on wicking if you like.

The UV finish matters for open grounds in Tamil Nadu, where a morning match can run into noon. The anti-microbial finish matters for kit that goes into a bag after the game and comes out the next day. These are treatments on the cloth, and I do not promise more than that.

GRID-E makes up for it in other ways. It is a grid micro knit with rows of tiny raised squares at 170 GSM, smooth to the touch and easy to wash. For a shirt that gets washed every week by many different families, easy care counts for a lot. The Club fabric page goes into this properly.

What does the Elite look and feel add?

Elite gives you the choice of a diamond knit or an open honeycomb mesh, and Club gives you one smooth grid. If your design relies on the fabric texture showing up in photographs, that choice matters.

QUARTZ-A at 180 GSM is the heavier, more structured option, used for finals kits, training jerseys, warm-up tops and track uniforms. HEXA-B at 160 GSM has open hexagon cells and is the fabric we prefer for football. GRID-E sits in between at 170 GSM, but with a closed surface and no cells.

The Elite fabric guide has swatch descriptions for both. You can also ask for swatches on WhatsApp and compare them with a GRID-E piece side by side.

What does a 15-player and a 25-player squad cost in each tier?

For 15 players, Elite costs ₹10,485 and Club costs ₹7,485, so Elite is ₹3,000 more. For 25 players, Elite costs ₹17,475 and Club costs ₹12,475, so Elite is ₹5,000 more.

The working is 15 × 699 = 10,485, 15 × 499 = 7,485, 25 × 699 = 17,475 and 25 × 499 = 12,475. These are list rates including names, numbers and logo. Bigger orders get a lower rate per piece, so the final quote is usually a little lower, and the minimum order is 5 pieces.

The ₹5,000 gap on a 25-player order is a large share of a small club’s yearly kit budget. Spend it only if the finishes will be used. Sizes from XS to 4XL all cost the same, so you never pay extra for larger players.

Which sports suit Elite, and which suit Club?

Football, cricket, basketball and running are the Elite sports, and badminton, table tennis and team polos are the Club sports. The split follows how much the player moves.

Football and futsal players cover a lot of ground and sweat heavily, so football jerseys in HEXA-B make sense. Cricketers fielding through a long innings and basketball players doing end to end runs are in the same position. Runners also appear in the HEXA-B list.

Badminton and table tennis are indoor, short rally games, and GRID-E is listed for both. Team polos for clubs and offices are GRID-E’s other home. If you play cricket for fun on weekends, the cricket jerseys page will help you pick sleeve lengths.

Which tier fits a final, weekly games, a school day, a corporate league or practice?

A tournament final

Elite, without much debate. A final can mean a long wait, a warm-up and then the match, and you want the kit to look sharp in the team photo. QUARTZ-A suits the heavier, structured look.

Weekly club games

This is the grey area. Football or cricket every Sunday leans Elite. A weekly badminton or table tennis night leans Club. Decide on the sport, because the budget gap is the same either way.

A school sports day

Neither of these tiers, normally. A sports day is a few hours of running, and the Budget range at ₹399 handles it. If the school wants a smart staff uniform, GRID-E fits. See school jerseys.

A corporate league

GRID-E for the polo that staff wear at the office and on match days, and Elite only for the players who sprint. A company with 25 participants saves ₹5,000 by choosing GRID-E for everyone. Take a look at corporate jerseys.

Practice kits

Practice is where the anti-microbial finish earns its place, because sweaty kit sits in bags. On a tight budget, put the players who train most in Elite and keep GRID-E for occasional players, or look at the Budget range for spare shirts.

Can you combine Elite match kits with Club polos?

Yes, and it is the setup I suggest to clubs that have officials, coaches and supporters as well as players. Players get Elite, everyone else gets GRID-E polos.

Take a 25-member club with 15 players. The match kit in Elite costs 15 × 699 = ₹10,485. The 10 officials and coaches in GRID-E polos cost 10 × 499 = ₹4,990. The total is ₹15,475, against ₹17,475 if all 25 wore Elite. That saves ₹2,000 and the people who are not running do not need wicking.

The minimum order of 5 pieces applies to each design. You can also change shorts and jersey sizes separately for players.

Where to go from here

Compare the cheaper step in Pro vs Club, or look at the lowest tier in Elite vs Budget. For the whole range, the comparison chart lists all eight fabrics.

Send your sport, squad size and colours on the contact page and you get a free mockup in 24 hours. Delivery takes 7 to 10 working days after you approve the design.