Jersey printing: name and number for every player, how it really works

What French speakers call "flocage" is today the heat application of a name and number cut from flex film, player by player. The technique is simple; what makes or breaks a team order is the list: an exact name, a unique number, and a size for each player. And while the jerseys are off being marked, one question deserves asking: who's dressing the fans?

The essentials in 4 points:

• Behind the word "flocage" hides a flex film, cut then heat-pressed, name by name.
• The real work isn't technical, it's the list: names checked letter by letter, unique numbers, confirmed sizes.
• The price depends mostly on the number of jerseys, marked sides, and colors, not the length of the name.
• The jersey equips the players; the club's merch carries the logo everywhere else: around town, at school, in the stands.

What "flocage" means today

The word stayed, the technique changed. What's called flocage on a jersey is almost always a flex transfer: a flexible film cut to the exact shape of the name and number, then heat-pressed onto the fabric. It's the ideal technique for one-by-one personalization, precisely because every jersey is different: cutting "MARTIN 10" or "BENALI 7" costs the same work, where other techniques demand an identical design across the whole run.

That's also why name-and-number marking remains jersey territory, not the technique for a whole collection: for an identical design across thirty garments, other marking techniques take the lead.

The real subject: the player list

The heat-press itself takes a few minutes per jersey. What sinks team orders is what happens before: the list. Three rules avoid most of the drama:

• Every name checked letter by letter, by the player themselves. The spelling of a proper name can't be guessed, and a heat-pressed typo can't be fixed: the jersey has to be redone. Have each line validated by the person concerned, not by the captain from memory.
• One number per player, and a list that proves it. Duplicate numbers are the most common error in group orders, and they're always discovered at delivery. A shared spreadsheet with a sorted number column is enough to spot them beforehand.
• The size attached to the name, not ordered in bulk. "Ten M and fifteen L" always ends with a defender in XL swimming in an M. Each line of the list carries its name, its number, and its size: that's the list you hand over, as is.

One last reflex that saves whole seasons: ask for a preview before production (the rendering of the name and number on the jersey), and proofread it like an official document. It's your last chance to catch the "MRATIN" that was about to hit the press.

What it costs, and what drives the price

The factors that drive the price are constant: the number of jerseys, the number of marked sides (number on the back only, or name + number + initials on the front), the number of marking colors, and whether you supply your jerseys or buy them marked. The length of the name generally changes nothing: "BENALI" and "DELACROIX-MARTIN" cost the same.

For a verifiable benchmark: the public price grid of Decathlon's in-store workshops in France lists, as of our September 2026 survey, name + number marking at €13 per jersey for a single unit, and €10 per jersey from 11 units. It's the market's simplest reference point; specialized workshops compare against it, often with steeper volume discounts on real production runs.

The money-saving advice: decide first what's genuinely useful. The number on the back is essential for matches; the name is a comfort; the first name on the chest is a treat. Every added side multiplies the cost by your squad size.

Meanwhile, who's dressing the fans?

Here's the question almost no club asks while its jerseys are being marked: your community is bigger than your squad. The parents in the stands, the friends at school, the alumni, the volunteers: none of them will wear the jersey, and all of them would gladly wear the club's colors.

That's exactly what merch is for: a hoodie, a tee, a cap in the club's colors, without being the technical kit. The jersey lives ninety minutes a week on a pitch; a sweatshirt with the club's logo circulates around town, in class, at work, all week long. For a club, it's the best media there is, and it's worn by people who will never play.

The mechanics differ from the jersey order, and that's good news: no name list, no numbers, no sizes tied to a squad. A club's online shop runs instead on simple references everyone orders in their own size, and the choice of fits sets the style: an ample fit tells the story of the stands, a straight fit stays versatile.

What TKNP does for you

The technical jersey and its marking are the equipment makers' trade. Your club's lifestyle line is ours: on tknp.io, your crest goes through the online designer, the club's collection takes shape in your wardrobe, and everyone orders in their own size, from a single piece to check the result, to volume to dress the whole stand, printing included in the price. Your fans are waiting for it, and they don't need a number.