Soccer medals are the workhorse of youth and amateur soccer. They cost a fraction of a trophy, ship by the hundred, hang on a ribbon in team colors, and still end up on a bedroom wall for years. This guide covers the medal styles that suit soccer, how to choose ribbons and engraving, which suppliers handle volume well, and how to place an order that arrives correct and on time.
Soccer medal styles
Medals differ more than most buyers expect. The main styles, from economy to premium:
Star and Starbrite medals
The standard participation medal. A two inch die cast medal with a soccer ball insert, available in gold, silver, and bronze. Star medals have a classic burst design around the insert. Starbrite medals add a brighter, polished finish. Both are stocked in volume and are the most economical choice for leagues that award every player.
Shooting Star medals
A dynamic design with a comet trail around the soccer ball, offered in antique bronze, silver, and gold finishes. The antique bronze soccer Shooting Star medal is a popular choice for tournaments that want something a step above the basic star. See the Shooting Star medal collection.
Superstar band medals
A larger medal with a raised band around a soccer scene, such as the 2 inch gold Superstar band medal. The extra size reads well from a distance and suits championship and placing awards.
BriteLazer medals
BriteLazer medals have a laser engraved soccer design with a mirror finish. They are a good choice when the league wants a modern look and plans to engrave the back.
High relief medals
High relief medals feature a sculpted, three dimensional soccer ball or player. They are heavier and more detailed, which makes them a credible MVP or tournament champion award in a medal box.
Galaxy, Victory, and MidNite Star medals
Galaxy medals, Victory medals, and MidNite Star medals round out the range with distinct looks, from a deep blue background to a bold, chunky profile. A league that wants its medals to look different from the neighboring league picks from these.
Ribbons and presentation
Every medal comes with a neck ribbon. The ribbon collection includes solid colors, two color combinations, and patterns. Pick the league or club color. For tournaments, gold, silver, and bronze medals on matching ribbons make the podium clear in photos.
For individual awards or a club’s annual recognition, a medal in a presentation box feels substantially more important than a medal handed over loose. Boxes are inexpensive and worth it for the handful of medals that carry real meaning.
Engraving soccer medals
Most medals have a smooth back that can be laser engraved with the league name, the season, the division, and the player’s name. Some leagues engrave only the front insert area with the event name and leave the back blank. For participation medals, a single engraved line with the league and season is enough. For placing medals, add First Place, Second Place, or Third Place and the division.
Engraving every medal with an individual name costs more and takes longer because each one is laid out separately. It is worth doing for championship and MVP medals. For a 300 piece participation order, engraving the league and season on every medal and skipping names keeps the order fast and affordable.
Top soccer medal suppliers
1. Viking Awards
Viking Awards in Westchester, Illinois has supplied soccer medals to leagues, park districts, clubs, and tournaments since 1973. The full range of medals, from economy star medals to high relief, is stocked locally and engraved in house, which is why bulk orders can be turned in days. Ribbons are stocked in dozens of colors, and medal boxes are available for the pieces that deserve one.
Viking also carries the full soccer awards and trophies collection, including pieces like the 10 inch soccer champion award and the soccer cobra award, so a league can order medals for the roster and trophies for the champions in one proof cycle. Chicago area buyers can pick up in person. Everything else ships nationwide.
Website: Viking-Awards
Phone: 630-833-1733.
2. Crown Awards
Crown Awards has a very large soccer medal catalog with online customization and volume pricing. A strong choice for large leagues that prefer to order without a phone call.
Website: crownawards.com.
3. Hodges Badge Company
Hodges Badge specializes in ribbons, medals, and rosettes and offers custom ribbon printing, which suits tournaments that want the event name on the ribbon itself.
Website: hodgesbadge.com.
4. Trophy Depot
Trophy Depot carries a broad line of soccer medals at competitive prices alongside its trophy catalog.
Website: trophydepot.com.
5. K2 Awards
K2 Awards offers economy soccer medals with fast production and clear per unit pricing, which is useful for budget planning.
Website: k2awards.com.
Disclaimer: The companies listed above, other than Viking Awards, are independent businesses with no affiliation to Viking Awards. Product and pricing details come from their public websites and may change. Confirm availability and current pricing directly with any provider before ordering.
How to order soccer medals in bulk
Count by team, then add extras
Build the count from rosters, then add five to ten percent for late registrations and replacements. A few extra medals cost little. A second order for three medals costs a rush fee and a week.
Choose one style per tier
Participation medals in one style, placing medals in another. Mixing several styles within the same tier looks accidental.
Pick the ribbon early
Ribbon color is the decision that most often gets revisited. Settle it before the proof.
Decide on engraving once
League and season on every medal, names only on the handful that matter. Send the engraving text as a typed list.
Allow two to three weeks
Stocked medals with simple engraving can be done in days, but a large order placed during the late spring or late fall rush benefits from a buffer. See how long it takes to get a custom award made.
Related reading
For the trophy and plaque side of soccer recognition, see best soccer awards and trophies. For tournament specific guidance, read soccer tournament awards. The medal series guide compares every medal line in detail, and the sports awards guide covers awards across every sport.
Medals for tournaments versus leagues
The two most common soccer medal orders look different, and knowing which one you are placing saves time.
A league order is a participation order. Every registered player receives a medal, the engraving is identical or nearly identical across the whole batch, and the order is placed once per season from a roster. The priorities are cost per medal, ribbon color consistency, and a delivery date ahead of the end of season event. Economy star medals with the league name and season engraved on the back are the standard answer, and the count usually runs from fifty to several hundred.
A tournament order is a placing order. Gold, silver, and bronze medals for the top three teams in each age bracket, sometimes with a fourth place or finalist medal. The engraving carries the tournament name and the bracket, and the medals often go in boxes for the champion team. Counts are smaller per bracket but the design matters more because the medal is the photo at the podium. Shooting Star, Superstar band, or high relief medals in matching gold, silver, and bronze finishes are the usual choice.
Clubs that run both a league and a tournament often standardize on one medal family across both so the club’s medals are recognizable, varying only the finish and the engraving.
Replacement and late additions
A medal that goes missing or a player added after the order is a small problem if the shop has the layout on file. Viking Awards keeps engraving layouts for repeat customers, so a single replacement medal can be produced to match the original batch without starting over.
Storing and presenting
Medals arrive with ribbons attached and are best stored flat in their shipping boxes until the event. For a league, sort them by team before the day so the handoff at the field takes minutes. For a tournament, keep the gold, silver, and bronze sets separated by bracket and labeled, because the podium ceremony is not the moment to sort.
A note on quality. Not every two inch medal is the same. Die cast medals have crisp detail and a satisfying weight, while stamped economy pieces feel thin. Ask what the medal is made of and, if possible, hold a sample before committing a league’s budget to several hundred of them. The difference in cost per medal is small and the difference in how it feels around a player’s neck is not.
Ready to order
Send a roster count, a ribbon color, and a date, and the rest is routine. Viking Awards has produced soccer medals for leagues of every size for more than fifty years, with every medal engraved in house in Westchester, Illinois. Call 630-833-1733 or use the contact page to get a quote.