Ordering the FLL kit before registering the team?
Our position, and other voices worth reading before you decide.
Our position
Register the team with FIRST first. Then order the physical kit. Some season materials are gated behind team registration on the FIRST Dashboard; the physical kit without the digital materials is half a purchase.
Registration is quick (a day or two), gets you immediate access to the judging rubrics and season guide, and is the prerequisite for entering a tournament. Do not order the physical kit until the team is registered and the season code is in hand.
Other voices
Reputable sources worth reading before you decide. Labels reflect our honest read of each source's general stance, not direct quotes.
FIRST Dashboard workflow
Broadly agreesThe official FIRST flow is: register the team, pay the registration fee, then order materials. Following that flow surfaces the gated digital content at the right time.
Urgent-shipping situations
Nuanced / mixedA team registered late in the season may need to order the physical kit simultaneously with registration to meet event deadlines. That is a timing issue, not a principle issue - the preferred order is still register-then-order.
Volume-purchase districts
Pushes backLarge districts running a Class Pack across multiple schools sometimes bulk-order before all individual teams have registered. That is a district-scale operational choice, not a single-team recommendation.