'Save the date' Personalised Rugby Balls 0

'Save the date' Personalised Rugby Balls

Wow..! You're about to announce your big news to all your friends and family....There’s a lot of planning to do, but this might just be the most exciting part of the planning stage – your save the date cards. It’s the moment you as a couple announce to your friends and family that you’ve set a date, and give everyone something super exciting to look forward to. 

Who says that your save the date cards need to even be cards? It's your wedding day and your chance to get a little creative. For those of you that have a sporting twist or theme to the big day, then we may have just the idea for you. We can personalise a whole bunch of rugby or footballs with the news and the all-important date. They can be custom made in your wedding colours and include designs, logos or just text. We make your balls from scratch so they can be as small or as large as you need and there are large discounts the more you order. Its unique, personal and you can carry on the theme with personalised rugby balls for your seating plan or as Paige boy, usher or best man gifts. If the bride & bridesmaids are into their rugby then these can also add a personal memento of the most amazing day. There are lots of variables when it comes to customising balls so hopefully, we can offer you something to help on your big day. 

Why not get in touch with one of the team to explore what we can do for you.

Groomsman Gifts for Sports Fans 0

Groomsman Gifts for Sports Fans

So the wedding is almost here and its time to find the best groomsman gifts....Cool groomsmen gifts are those gifts that tend to be a bit more unique than an off the shelf product. A more creative option that has had some genuine thought is what you're looking for.....Not something that the groomsmen already owns. A standard gift can be a bit of risk as you know they may not 100% appeal to the taste of your Groomsman. Make the effort and you might just hit the jackpot and really get your groomsmen pumped.  Cool groomsmen gifts are more likely to dazzle on the day given rather than finding their way to the back of a closet.

Footballs Designed for BP Mitchell 0

Promotional Footballs Designed for eBuyer

Located in Hertfordshire, BP Mitchell Ltd is a haulage company providing numerous services to the construction industry including demolition, waste management and site clearance. They also supply Ready Mix concrete and aggregate materials for building projects of all sizes.

Our brief was to design a simple football that could be used as giveaways during the world cup 2018. Using our express service we delivered a number of balls to the company in their corporate colours with their company name and phone number in bold text. By supplying potential customers with a super promotional product the companies name is put out there every time a ball is received and used in the garden, park or office. Its brand awareness at its simplest and it delivers real results. 

Get in touch with the team today for all your branded football requirements. 

Footballs Designed for eBuyer 0

Promotional Footballs Designed for eBuyer

Ebuyer is an electronic commerce retailer based in Howden, Yorkshire, England. It is the largest independent online retailer of computer and electrical goods in the United Kingdom.

The Ebuyer website is the 210th most visited site in the United Kingdom and has 4 million registered customers. Ebuyer has a number of strategic business partnerships in place, most notably with Hewlett Packard (HP Preferred Partner 2010). Other partners include Microsoft, Toshiba & Sony.  

We designed and supplied an order of custom printed footballs for eBuyer for a promotion ahead of the world cup. Printed footballs are a fantastic way to gain some brand awareness especially ahead of or during a large football tournament.  With prices, the lowest in the UK and the fastest lead times anywhere in the world on custom-made balls we are the team to deliver. 

A History of the Baseball Glove 0

A History of the Baseball Glove

For people of a certain age, there are few childhood memories fonder than that first new baseball glove. Children who aspired to play infield chose gloves signed by Brooks Robinson, while future outfielders begged their parents for mitts bearing the signatures of Clemente or Mays, who to this day remain two of the game’s finest role models.

The first fielders played with their bare hands, and the early split-finger gloves that followed were not much better. They were comparable to horsehide paws, with a tangle of webbing or an unadorned flap of leather between the thumb and the index finger. By the 1920s and ’30s, baseball gloves had become specialized to a player’s position. Catcher mitts had extra padding, to account for the 100-mile-per-hour fastballs that pitchers were throwing at them. The inside of the baseball mitt had slots for the catcher’s fingers and just like a mitten, only the thumb section was given freedom of movement. Similarly, first-base baseball mitts were designed like giant scoops, since the position required accuracy when it came to catching a long throw from third.

By the 1940s, fielder gloves by Rawlings, Wilson, and MacGregor were being designed to make it easier for infielders to pick up grounders and get the ball into the throwing hand quickly. For outfielders, gloves were designed to help the player snag a fly ball on the run, with deep pockets so the ball would stay put when the fielder inevitably hit the ground after making a diving catch. Collectors of antique and vintage game-used mitts and gloves look for readable labels, leather that is supple rather than dry, and intact padding. An old glove is usually not that expensive, which means you can collect gloves from different eras and for different positions without breaking the bank. But for gloves that have been signed by a professional baseball player, the autograph is likely to eclipse the cost of the item itself, and then some.

Here at We Print Balls we have a range of vintage leather baseball gloves that we can supply personalised or unbranded. They are 100% handmade in the same style as the gloves of yesteryear from the finest quality full grain leather. Scarring and marks confirm the leather to be full grain and not cheaper full leather or manmade alternatives. They are a really premium product that makes the most amazing gift for baseball fans all over the world. We offer worldwide shipping and premium express options to get your gloves delivered even when time is of the essence. You can view our vintage range in our online store 

Fundraising Ideas For Schools 0

Super Fundraising Ideas For Schools

There’s no skipping around the fact that school budgets can be pretty tight! Here at We Print Balls, we have devised some amazing fundraising ideas for your school to help raise much-needed funds.

Donations, charity events and raising money through fundraising campaigns are extremely popular. Just to keep a school budget in the black, Headteachers are abseiling down mountains and school teachers are throwing themselves out of planes!

Teaching and support staff will always go the extra mile to find funds and raise the cash needed for their school. It’s in their DNA to do all they can help. Events such as school fairs, fetes, tombola’s and non-uniform days have become the obvious choice for school staff looking to raise money to help their pupils but could you offer something different?

We’ve put together our top list of fundraising ideas to raise money for your school which we think will be effective and hopefully fun! They don’t take lots of planning and there’s hopefully something for everyone.

Amazing school fundraising suggestions for your school

1. School crowdfunding

Crowdfunding is a fairly new idea. You can create an online fundraiser for an event such as a teacher entering a marathon. Perhaps a walk-a-thon or involvement in a sporting event?

Websites like Just Giving enable you to set up a unique web page to explain what you are collecting donations for and the details of what you’re going to do. This can be a fantastic way to let people know why your efforts are so important and how they will benefit the pupils at your school. With the right exposure on Facebook or Instagram donations could fly in as word gets around.

2. Community grants for schools

It may be surprising how few schools make the most of what and who is around them. Local businesses and companies may seem out of reach but perhaps you ’re wrong. They can be interested in supporting their local schools with a cash grant because local businesses want the local children to succeed. Often the children of employees at the business can attend the school and they and the local businesses want the school and children from their town or village to succeed.

A community grant is something that a local business can offer to non-profit organisations such as schools so why not contact the top companies in your area to see if they offer grants for schools.

3. Primary school lottery

One in four UK schools has their own lottery. These are a popular and effective way of raising money for your student’s needs. Whilst they may sound like a nightmare to organise they don’t need to be. Visit the Your Lottery website for an easy way to get started. Entries can be made for as little as £1 per week and it doesn’t cost the school anything.

4. Primary teacher baby photo competition

Always popular one this! The headmaster, teachers and other school staff bring a photograph of themselves as a baby into school. The pupils have to make a guess for a small entry fee and match the baby photo to the correct member of staff. This event costs nothing and can be incorporated into a school event such as the summer fete. It normally generates a few laughs along the way!

5. Franchise your primary school

Tea towels, mugs, bags, cards, aprons, bags for life, bears, calendars, school labels – You name it, it can be personalised. Personalisation is key because it fuels ownership.

Children draw an image of themselves and these are grouped as a class and a school onto a product of your choice. ‘Self-portrait’ fund-raising is always popular because it feeds into keepsake culture of sentimentality and children love seeing their artwork on the merchandise.

6. Branding your school

Branding your school badge and brand onto popular items can be a super way to promote the school in the area and make the pupils proud. At We Print Balls we specialize in printing a range of sports balls including Footballs, Netballs, Basketballs, Cricket balls & Rugby Balls. If we can supply you with a branded school ball could you retail these to students for a small profit? You could even create your own branded ball that your sell at stalls, the school fete etc. Why not have a competition involving the students designing the best ball to get everyone involved. We always offer reduced rates when supplying a ball to schools so why not give us a shout to see if we can assist.

7. Key Stage 1 & Key Stage 2 bake sales

It’s tried and tested and it works. Parents, volunteers and supporters of your school can donate cakes, biscuits and delicious baked goods at an event held at the school.

When done in the style of The Great British Bake Off, they can be a crowd puller and a reliable fundraiser that can generate a surprising amount of money. They are a fantastic social occasion, they get local people involved and they don’t cost much to set up.

8. Primary school bingo night

Two fat ladies! A sociable and popular game, bingo is a fun and easy to organise, making it a great fundraiser that parents, children & staff can enjoy together. To raise more money, you can always supply light refreshments too.

9. Buy a primary school brick

Brick fundraising is a great way to raise money for schools and clubs and has been used in sports industry at grassroots levels for years. The idea is a simple one – supporters, students, local people or businesses buy or sponsor a brick to be put towards a new building project. With enough bricks purchased that additional classroom that is needed may be that little bit more achievable.

10. Local scarecrow trail

Hold a scarecrow trail around your local school. Families can register to build a scarecrow and pay £5 to £10. Scarecrows are placed in front gardens in all their glory and people can buy a trail sheet from the school for £1 including a map of the route.

The trail can involve some puzzles to solve and guess the scarecrow - These can be themed and people guess who they are – from Elvis Presley to Harry Kane! They’re great publicity for the school so why not get the local paper involved in this idea which is a little different from normal fundraisers.

11. Primary school car wash

Open up the playground, car park or school field and hold a super fundraising car wash. It’s easy to organise and fun to do. The students can help and can offer to drum up business better than the adults. Whilst customers wait, offer them some light refreshments to make a little more money.

12. KS2 sleepover event!

Parents will probably pay stacks for this one! Children will love the idea of spending the night in school with all their friends….What an adventure!

Obviously, lots of helpers would be required and all child protection matters need triple checking but they can be a lot of fun! With the kids camped in the school hall parents can enjoy an evening to themselves and the kids can stay up until 1 am chatting with their friends in pop up tents.

13. Wine tasting

It’s easy to see why a wine tasting evening in your school is a money-spinner. Our suggested way to organise such an evening is to involve a local wine merchant who could provide their wines at cost price in return for promoting their business.

You could even operate the evening as a quiz event with a blind tasting! Why not combine with some cheese too! If wine isn’t the tipple of choice for the parents, teachers and other attendees the how about creating your own Oktoberfest instead with beer and music.

14. Race night

Race nights showing greyhounds or horse racing can generate a lot of interest. You could host a professional and glitzy race night in your school by including a compere, guest tickets, film equipment and race footage. You can throw in food and a bar for easy extra revenue along with a good old fashioned raffle.

15. Online discount code – Partner Up

As an online-only retailer, We Print Balls do not have a bricks and mortar shop. For exposure, we have to get out there and show people what we do. With the parents of school-aged children being our target customer, we would love to market our products to your students’ parents. As a school, you could help us out by offering a little exposure in return for funds for your school's fundraiser. We can pay to pop a leaflet showing our products into your students book bags or how about us offering a fixed percentage of sales if you can supply us with a bulk order of personalised balls. The latter can be quite lucrative for schools especially at Christmas time when parents are looking for an amazing personalised gift. You simply collate the order and we give you a hefty slice of the sale.

Remember, fundraising is fun! With the ideas above you can raise funds for your school in a way that doesn’t take an entire team or term to plan and doesn't cost the earth.