When it comes to building spirit and morale for your athletic teams, there are many different options available. With a bit of creativity, you can give your student athletes more reasons to be proud of their school, their team, and their teammates. Here are just a few fun ideas you can use to build your team's spirit and confidence.

Invest In Team Workout Apparel

Your team wears uniforms when it competes, but what about when the athletes are practicing or exercising? Consider having custom-printed dri-fit shirts made for your students to wear while working out at the gym. Have your team name and logo printed on each shirt, so they can proudly proclaim which team they play for. You can also add custom-printed athletic shorts and jackets to their workout wardrobe.

Host Weekly Spirit Days

Encourage your athletes to wear their custom-printed workout shirts or shorts to school one day each week, and get the whole school involved by selling screen-printed "fan" T-shirts. Use the proceeds from the shirts to pay for team equipment. This is a particularly good idea if your school requires students to wear uniforms, as it gives them a chance to wear something a little less formal. You can even raise more money for the school by giving students the option to pay a small fee for wearing jeans with their team shirts.

Make Home Games More Exciting

What could be more intimating to visiting teams than to walk into a gym or stadium filled with your school's colors? Offer students discounted admission when they wear their screen-printed fan T-shirts to games, and have shirts printed just for parents of athletes too. For games against your school rivals, consider having special shirts printed just for the occasion. Sell the shirts at the door for these games to build excitement and school spirit. Fans can wear the shirts over their clothing for the duration of the game to give your athletes encouragement when they take the field or court.

Give Your Athletes The Professional Treatment

Treat your athletes like pros by hosting a press conference after each game. Invite reporters from the school paper and local newspapers to attend, and have a coach and a few students answer questions. Make an announcement during the game to let fans know they can attend the press conference, and make this idea even more fun by having your athletes sign autographs for the fans. Consider having special post-game T-shirts printed for the athletes to wear to give the press conference a real professional sports feel.

Make your student athletes and your school proud of their teams. Use these ideas to build up your sports program and make everyone feel like they are part of something truly special.