As the journey of my football disillusion continues, there was another place to lay my anger at; football gear. I don’t mean football gear as in the boots, shin pads, or gloves I would need to play in a social or local league, I’m talking about the football gear that clubs sell to fans. To this day, I still own my very first ever football shirt. A 1992 Manchester United home kit from the first iteration of the English Premier League (EPL). Growing up in Zimbabwe, football kits were a luxury, much like Oreos and Ferrero Rocher. Buying a football shirt was a novelty, as it was something not readily available, nor easily affordable. It was no surprise then that the next kit I was fortunate to own, was a knock off of the blue 1999/2000 United away shirt.

At the time, I was not too bothered that is was an obvious fake. It had everything the original had, other than the Umbro logo. This was replaced by the company name that produced the knock off. My joy could not be diminished though. I was wearing a kit for a team I loved. Growing up in a third world country where money was a luxury, you took whatever little gifts you could get, and appreciated the effort your parents put in to do so. Moving to Australia, my eyes were opened to the world of possibilities in the first world. Oreos and Ferrero Rocher were available with regular ease in any supermarket. I could buy them as and when I pleased. Further to this, football shirts were just as readily available in any sports shop, and they were original replicas. Working as a casual in my 20s, I was able to earn money that meant I could buy my own shirts, and sure enough, my football shirt collection grew.

Unfortunately, much of that collection I no longer own having grown out of them. Recently, I realised I wanted to build that collection again. Now a fully-fledged adult and working a full-time job, the possibility in terms of what I could buy grew. However, something within me made it very difficult to part with my cash. Older football fans would remember a time when clubs released a new kit only every two seasons. Some clubs would also only release a home and away kit, and third kits were not an option. Nowadays, kits are released every single season, with some teams releasing 4 kits for a season, plus additional special edition kits throughout the season. Once again, football is drawing every single penny out of the fan’s wallet.

For a case study, I looked at two clubs. One an Australia A-League club, and another, an EPL club. Sydney FC and Arsenal Football Club are two prominent clubs in their respective league, with strong dominant supporter bases. For the purpose of this article, we will be looking at the full price, except where specified. Let’s start closer to home.

Sydney FC are yet to release their kit for the 2025/26 season. As a result, we will need to work off what was available for the 2024/25 season. Sydney released 4 jerseys. A home jersey, away jersey, third jersey, and a special unity jersey. Each one of these would set a fan back AU$120. If you want to go the extra mile, there are also 3 different iterations of the Goalkeeper jersey available to purchase each for the same price. The Sydney FC store also still has the home, away, and third jersey from the 2023/24 season available to purchase. These are currently available at a special price of AU$55 each. If you are a fan who wants to go the extra mile, you can also purchase replica kit shorts, socks, or training gear. These range from AU$30 - $120.


Moving to Europe and the Arsenal store. At present, they have only released their home, and goalkeeper kits for the upcoming 2025/26 season. Each of these are at a cost of $150. If you try to purchase it from Australian retailer Rebel Sport, it will cost AU$168. If you would like to add a player and name on the back, the price goes up to at least AU$184. The Arsenal store has a much bigger range than Australian teams too. Much like Sydney FC, fans can purchase goalkeeper kits, shorts, socks, and training gear. However, Arsenal offer a much bigger range of branded items including homewares, souvenirs, special gifts, and many more.

As the cost of kits have risen, my frustration with the money being spent has too. I used to purchase kits with a player’s name on the back. Unfortunately, sometimes that player would leave a club - or in worse cases – do something that makes you no longer revere them. The latter makes it harder to walk around with their name on the back, but the money has been spent. Your options are to give away your kit, or continue to wear it, ignoring the looks or frustrations that may come from it. The price of the kits continues to rise year after year, and often, you would have to wait till the season is complete in order to get a discount, at which point the kit is outdated. At a discounted rate, you could get the kit for a range of between AU$55 - $80. Unfortunately, the cheaper range is for a kit 2 seasons past.

It was a weekend winters afternoon when I was browsing YouTube that I stumbled upon an interesting video. Its title allured to a review of football kits. The key point of this review however, was that the kits were knock off replicas. They look exactly like the real thing, but came from Chinese suppliers, and were not affiliated to the clubs in any way. As I watched the video, the YouTuber spoke more about the high quality of the kits, and that he could not tell the difference. My interest was fully piqued at the mention of the price. For just AU$22, anyone could get their hands on the latest kit for their favourite football team. This video had seen the YouTuber spend close to AU$110 for five kits, all of which he raved about.

As the video concluded, I read the comments of agreeance, and the testimonials of others who purchased their own kits from the same source with gleeful result. This led me to a Discord chat where more reviews of positive were witnessed. I took the plunge. I ordered 3 kits of my own. Two weeks later, my kits arrived. Apart from the sizing being a little different, the quality of the kits was perfect. It was difficult to tell from the original, and the range on offer was fantastic. I was able to purchase retro kits that were out of financial reach as a kid. In this moment of excitement, my disillusion grew.

Football clubs are once again taking the most from the people who give their all. Fans are having to fork out more and more money to support their clubs. The cost of kits rise year after year, and the clubs are producing more kits, and more versions in a bid to squeeze that extra. Fans are having their wallets stretched further than ever, and are doing so every year. In some cases, they have to do so multiple times a year. One of the clubs investigated – Arsenal – produced a special white out kit that was worn once last season. Whilst the cause behind the kit was noble – campaign against youth violence – it was another expense that fans would have to spare if they wanted to support the cause.

Arsenal released a similar kit the season before, with the only difference being the lack of a black trim around logos, numbers, and lettering. It pointed to a bigger issue of kit manufacturers offering very little in the design department, yet still charging the same exorbitant prices of fans. This is a topic for another time however.

As a fan of football, I’ve been able to rekindle a bit of that love thanks to the Chinese suppliers offering kits at a cut price. Someone more pedantic might pick out something that tells them it is not an original, but I’ve yet to meet that person. The kits have received compliments, and I’m able to show my support without breaking the bank. The money saved can be used for other club gear that has no alternative and is more adequately priced, or towards the cost of one of the multitudes of streaming services needed to watch my teams. For as long as football clubs seek to capitalise on fan loyalty, my appreciation for the knock off suppliers will persist.