Football shirts have a way of getting to you. It starts with your club’s home kit; then you see a nice away one, and before you know it, you’re looking at retro designs and even international ones. The issue, however, is that official football shirts are not cheap. New kits cost between £60-90, which means that even a small collection can put a dent in your finances quickly.
However, you do not need to sacrifice multiple shirts to pay your bills. Many collectors and football fans alike have impressive collections without spending too much money. All it takes is a little strategy and some knowledge about where to find the best prices.
Timing is Everything
Unfortunately, many collectors buy their shirts at the worst time possible: as soon as they’re released. New kits for each season come at premium prices and crowds of people all want to get their hands on these shirts before anyone else. However, wait a few months, and those same kits will receive tremendous discounts.
The best time to find cheap kits is mid-season when stock needs to be cleared out. January sales are excellent for this! By the time the announcement of next season’s kit comes, expect to find the current season’s shirt at many retailers with 30-40% off. Yes, technically it’s “last season’s,” but when trying to build a collection and not buying every season release in the league, does it matter?
Season-end clearance is even better. By this time, stores want to make space for new kits, and prices get slashed like crazy. Expect shirts to be on offer for half price or even less! This is when the most patient collectors get lucky.
Know Your Shirts
Football shirts don’t all cost the same, and recognizing the difference helps collectors buy more within their set budgets. Authentic shirts – which are the ones worn by professional players on the field – are the most expensive. They boast lighter attributes, have tighter fits and use premium materials. Replica shirts are the standard versions that fans wear – not as expensive, more comfortable for casual occasions and quite frankly, more practical for everyday people.
Training shirts and pre-match tops offer another option. These kits often possess club colours and logos, yet come at significantly reduced costs compared to match kits. Therefore, when trying to round out a collection or get a varied amount of shirts in one collection, combining training shirts with proper kits can help expand a budget further.
Some collectors may focus on one quality shirt (home) each season and then bump up their collections with older or third options. Others prefer diversity instead of focusing on having the latest each year.
Where to Buy Football Shirts
Online retailers are your best friend in this scenario, but only if you know where to look. SoccerLord is one online store that provides various selection on football shirts at decent prices, making it more convenient to add up multiple kits than official club stores that would charge upwards of full price without discounts.
Sports outlet locations tend to stock football shirts at reduced prices. These can be overstock items, slightly older seasons or those that are perfectly good but just didn’t sell as well at full price. There’s nothing wrong with cheap kits – they just need to go!
Never underestimate the power of second-hand football shirts. Many people buy shirts, wear them a handful of times and never wear them again. Some fans have kids who like wearing shirts for one season until their club allegiance changes due to age or interest. Regardless, fans can find shirts that hardly show any wear for substantially less than retail price – if they are willing to buy pre-owned from others. Just be sure to check conditions.
The Yes/No Test
Collectors who regret their purchases usually did so impulsively. They see a shirt, they buy it without thinking, then down the line they realize they never wear it or appreciate it in the first place. Every collector should ask themselves beforehand: Will I actually wear this?
Some people build collections based on themes – collecting their own club’s versions through the years; collecting international versions from tournaments; collecting the most interesting third kits they can find. This helps to ensure that random purchases aren’t made for which there are no place holders.
Consider how well a shirt will stand the test of time. Some logos age better than others – the classic knit pattern from five years ago still looks fresh while that experimental “edgy” design from last season immediately feels out of date now.
Kids’ Section – Yes or No?
Here’s a trick that people eventually find out over time – if you can fit into a youth size shirt, do it! A large or extra-large youth kit may fit exactly like an adult small or medium – but costs £20-30 cheaper. The only drawback is that youth kits can sometimes be designed differently (not to mention slightly cheaper quality fabrics), so buyers beware.
But the youth size option works better for retro/old designs than anything current anyway unless you’re super picky about fabric technology.
International Teams & Lower League Options
Wherever there’s high demand for premium shirts, there are also cost-effective opportunities. This especially includes major teams in Premier League or La Liga options that boast great fanfare because everyone else is vying for it. However, football exists far beyond just club level. Smaller leagues often boast their own teams and international teams usually have designs based on geographical colors.
International tournament years boast kits in different options based on World Cups or European Championships, too – the tournament specific designs are interesting, fantastic looking, and usually often discounted after the fact.
Taking Care of What You Have
Part of obtaining a football shirt collection at a cheap price means avoiding buying new ones every season because your first ones fell apart. Hand wash cold inside out; don’t dryer-dry; don’t directly iron on numbers/decals. Doing all of this prevents fading from cheap laundry constructs that leave patched holes or fading prints.
Storage is important: hanging knit shirts can stretch shoulders; folding works better if they need to sit for a long time in storage. Keep them dry and away from excess sunlight.
Establish a Price
This seems like common sense, but establishing a price per month/per collection makes it happen without it turning into an obligation to pay every single month per shirt collected. Decide how much is reasonable and stick by it for as long as it works; should fans run out of money but see something incredible anyway – wish list it until they can either afford it later or determine they don’t care as much anymore down the road.
Sometimes waiting helps! That shirt might be $20 cheaper down the road – or maybe you realize you didn’t want it as bad as you thought.
Collection Mentality
Building a collection is not an overnight success story but rather a marathon built over time where accumulating more than 5 shirts in one year isn’t necessary let alone feasible. Even 2-3 great quality kits each year turns into something substantial after time. Enjoy what you have instead of stressing about always getting the next thing.
The best collections represent collectors who amassed them through passion – whether that’s every shirt your club ever made since 2010 or just interesting pieces from around the world or just an everyday solid rotation of styles actually worn – make it yours. The point isn’t for others to admire it; it’s for your enjoyment without going broke to make it happen.
