Clubs and teams are required to submit details of their proposed kit to British Cycling with their annual application for affiliation.
Submit your kit design before having your kit made
It is essential that clubs have their kit approved by British Cycling before having it manufactured, as frequently there is a requirement for the kit design to be amended to avoid clashes with other team kits and to comply with other regulations relating to team clothing.
We do allow a ‘phasing in’ period for new kits as we accept that there can be delays in kit production and economically it can be difficult to get everyone switched simultaneously. Therefore, while your new team kit is being produced you can continue to race in your old kit. What is most important is that we get an assurance that riders in the same competitive event from the same club are not wearing different designs.
Any racing clubs/teams in Road, Track, Cyclo-Cross and Cycle Speedway will need to register a kit design at the point of affiliation. Any riders 3rd category or above will need to race unattached and in plain kit if registered club clothing is not available. Except in British National Events, Youth riders, 4th Category riders and those who do not hold a Racing Licence or Day Licence are permitted to wear any suitable clothing whilst competing.
Guidance
In recent years a number of clubs have adopted kit designs which are predominantly black in colour and can be difficult for officials to pick out during an event. Clubs registering new kits are therefore asked to submit designs which do not have black as the main colour.
All registered kit designs must be identifiable, and the design must include at a minimum the club/team name or logo.
Many clubs benefit from the support of local or national businesses. Clubs may display the names or logos of commercial sponsors on their clothing by way of advertising. It is worth noting that clubs must register all third party logos/websites appearing in their team name or registered clothing as a sponsor with the appropriate fee with their annual affiliation. This is true for all clubs, including those who do not receive benefits, monetary or otherwise, from the advertising agreement. If a sponsorship agreement has ended, it is worth considering the possible need for a new club kit.
Please note that commercially named clubs pay more for their annual affiliation which includes the registration of their named sponsor. All clubs, with the exception of Clubmark and School Clubs, must pay to register their individual sponsors every year. Full costs can be found on the current affiliation form.
We allow a small manufacturer's mark of up to 25 sq. cm, please note that larger or repeated use of manufacturer's logos that could be interpreted as advertising should be listed as a sponsor with the appropriate fee.
It is important that clubs ensure that the benefits from the sponsor outweigh these costs. It is also a good idea to make sure that the length of the period of sponsorship is agreed on and whether the benefits (financial or otherwise) will be given to the club as one lump sum at the start of sponsorship or periodically throughout the sponsorship.
The logos of registered charities can be shown on the kit design free of charge. Please submit details of the charity on the kit notes section on the annual affiliation form.
We are no longer able to accept kit images as a PDF or word document, please submit all kit images as jpeg., jpg. or png. We ask that the submitted kit image clearly shows the front and back of the design, ideally the image from the manufacturer.
Regulations
British Cycling - Rules and Regulations
Clubs and teams shall register the design and colour of their kit ("Kit Design") with British Cycling as follows:
Cycle Speedway: There is a mandatory requirement for a club or team to register their Kit Design. Each club or team may register more than one set of Kit Design per year to enable each club and team to distinguish themselves from one another during events.
Cyclo-Cross, Road and Track: There is a mandatory requirement for a club or team to register their Kit Design. Clubs and teams may register only one Kit Design per year, regardless of the number of disciplines they take part in. That same Kit Design must be worn in all disciplines the club or team participates in.
BMX Freestyles, BMX Racing, eRacing and Mountain Bike: Clubs and Teams are encouraged to register their Kit Design, although there is no mandatory requirement to do so. If a club or team wishes to register a Kit Design, they may register only one Kit Design per year, regardless of the number of disciplines they take part in. That same Kit Design must be worn in all disciplines the club or team participates in.
Each Region and Home Country shall also register their Kit Design with British Cycling.
UCI Regulations - General Organisation of Cycling as a Sport
1.1.089 Without prejudice of the applicable law, no brand of tobacco, spirits, pornographic products or any other products that might damage the image of the UCI or the sport of cycling in general shall be associated directly or indirectly with a licence-holder, a UCI team or a national or international cycling competition. As defined in the present article, a spirit is a beverage with a content in alcohol of 15% or more.
1.3.027 Jerseys shall be sufficiently distinct from world champions', UCI cup and classification leaders' and national jerseys to avoid confusion.
Use of the British Cycling logo and the Union flag
If you wish to use the British Cycling logo on your kit or club website, click here for the relevant guidelines regarding logo use.
Logos are available as either a standalone or featuring either the Union flag or home country flag. Outside of the use of these logos we ask, in order to help differentiate regular club and team kits from representative kits, that clubs do not submit kit designs featuring the Union flag (Union Jack).
This does not apply to BMX club kits, where it is a UEC competition requirement to carry the national flag on the upper arm.
Further information
Provisional enquiries regarding club kit registration should be addressed to clubs@britishcycling.org.uk. Please include details of your club/team name and address (including postcode) to enable us to direct your request to the correct British Cycling region.
