Framing a Sports Jersey

A very common question I hear people ask is: "How do I frame a sports jersey"?

In this post I am going to show you how to frame a jersey (it can be any jersey - rugby league jersey, soccer jersey, American football (NFL) jersey, or even a t-shirt) professionally. There are a few basic principles to follow and once you have mastered these, you can frame any shirt confidently anytime.

Archival Materials

In my opinion, the first and most important thing in framing jerseys is the choice of materials for framing. The fact that the jersey was sent to me for framing suggests that it has some value to the owner. To retain the value of the jersey it is a requirement to use conservation type materials. The mats must be either alpha-cellulose or cotton based. The foam-core must be faced with either alpha-cellulose or cotton based boards. The glazing used must have a UV protection coating. No staples should be used as these will rust in time.

Professional Mounting

Start by cutting a foam core in the shape of the jersey, or how you would like the jersey to be displayed. This will go inside the jersey to hold it into shape. Once in place, the jersey with insert can then be attached or mounted to the backing matboard of the desired colour. This can be done by manually sewing or in my case I use the attaching tool called Attach-Ez. A few (about 5 on top and a couple on each side) is all it takes to ensure a safe mounting. It's really very easy and quick once you get the hang of it. It probably takes me 10 minutes tops to do this.

It doesn't touch the glass!

After attaching the jersey to the backing matboard, we need to add spacer on the sides of the jersey to keep the jersey away from the top matboard and glass. It is important to have space between the jersey and the glass to protect the jersey from condensation on the glass.

A placque helps

Find a reputable engraver who can craft a title bar for the jersey. In my case the material used by my engraver is called gravolite. It looks like brass, (gold colour) but when computer engraved, it shows the black layer underneath. It is good as the contrast of gold on black is quite easy to read.

Finished product

The right moulding to use will have the right amount of depth to accommodate the frame assembly including the glass. Enough space must be available so that it will not be squashed up after placing framer's points.

Here it is the professionally framed rugby league jersey, but really you can use the same procedures highlighted in this article to frame NFL jerseys, hockey jerseys, soccer jerseys, basketball jerseys, etc.