With football season upon us it’s time to work towards earning those helmet award decals! But what exactly are helmet award decals?
Helmet award decals are a way for coaches and staff to reward their players for doing well during a game. The requirements for earning these award decals varies from program to program, so it’s not going be the same for every school.
For example, Ohio State awards their players buckeye stickers on their helmets for things like five three-and-outs during a game or if the offense executes ten plays in which 12 or more yards are gained. Whereas Michigan State awards an “S” to the players every time the team wins.
Check out our post about
what the decals on specific college football helmets mean if you want to learn more about how certain programs are handling their award stickers.
How do Helmet Award Decals Differ from Traditional Helmet Decals?
When we talk about traditional football helmet decals, we are usually referring to a team’s logo, stripes, or design that is uniform across the entire team. These can range from being the first letter of your team’s name to the mascot of the school. They are meant to represent the school and/or team in a way that is unique and stands out.
Helmet award decals, while made of the same material, are designed to be smaller and not as attention grabbing as the main decals.
They usually come in 1” circle shapes with an image that also represents the team, but in a more indirect way. In most cases these stickers will be placed near the back sides of the helmet and move forward as you receive more awards when your team does well. They should not cover the team logo, which is why they are placed near the back of the helmet, but for teams like Ohio State, who don’t have their logo on their helmet, the buckeye sticker sometimes can cover the entirety of the helmet.
What Are Football Helmet Award Stickers Given Out For?
As we mentioned above, how the helmet stickers are given out, and for what achievements, is completely at the discretion of the coach and staff.
Some teams give them out for overall wins, while some teams pick set goals for the offense and defense. There are also teams that will take stickers away for things like penalties, fumbles, or other mistakes. So just because you’ve earned a sticker doesn’t mean it’s always there to stay.
Helmet award stickers are an easy way to help boost morale and reward your players for doing well on the field. It’s a small token of appreciation for continuing to make big plays and help the team to victory.
Where to Buy Helmet Award Stickers
At
Sport Decals we sell more than just your
traditional football helmet decals, we also sell a variety of different custom, and pre-printed,
helmet award stickers.
Our award decal stickers range from ¾” in size, up to 1-1/2”, which makes them perfect for football helmets of all sizes.
And just because they are typically found on football helmets doesn’t mean that they can’t be used for other sports as well. Lacrosse, and in some cases baseball and softball (where an individual has their own helmet), also lend themselves to awards in the form of helmet stickers. Hit a homerun? Here’s an helmet award sticker. Turn a double play? That’s worthy of an award decal.
The achievements for which award decals can be handed out is endless. As a coach it’s your responsibility to make sure you’re teaching your players what they need to do to win. And by rewarding the good things they do on the field; you’re encouraging them to follow your guidance and work hard towards the team goals.
Award decals may seem like a small token of appreciation, but as players begin to get recognized for these achievements on the field, they’ll strive to be great and continue to improve on and off the field.
