One of the fun things about being a football fan is wearing your favorite clubs’ gear around, especially the teams’ shirts and scarves. In Europe, as you can imagine, it is very easy to get football gear; virtually every corner store in
Online
Most people in the states (and especially in rural areas) don’t live near a brick-and-mortar store that sells soccer goods. So, for most Americans, buying on-line is the best option. Here is a brief list of some of the best places to get your stuff:
For me, World Soccer Shop is probably the best place to get all you current soccer gear. Their big, easy-to-navigate website breaks up their products by country, club, or price, so finding your favorite teams are easy. They have the current shirts of most of the big clubs around the world, and are particularly strong with gear from premiership, MLS, and national clubs. Whenever I want a shirt of a current player or team, I get it from World Soccer Shop. In addition, it is a big, professional company of generally very nice people, and everything is shipped very quickly. Two bonus points: they do jersey personalizations on-site, and they are located in the
Like World Soccer Shop, Subside is sort of a football ‘superstore’ located in
Both UK Soccer Shop and Kitbag are two more soccer shops located in
Toffs is a very interesting company that makes reproductions of vintage jerseys. Most of the reproductions are made in cotton (as jerseys were made at the time) and most are repros of pre-1990s shirts, so there are no advertising on the shirts. Most of these shirts look quite different from what they players wear today, and many of the items the company sells are very, very interesting. I strongly recommend Toffs.
Club Sites
Virtually every club these days has a website (even little Series B clubs in
Used, Rare and “Classic” Shirts
www.footballnotmuggybonehead.com
There are also a number of dealers on the internet selling old football shirts, which range from “never-been-worn classics that were bought and stored for twenty years” to “stained and ripped.” Regardless, old-school football shirts are fun. By far my favorite dealer in classic football shirts is Footballnotmuggybonehead. Hundreds of great shirts at competitive prices. I bought a 1990 Pisa FC and love it: the shirt was in brand-new condition and the price and shipping were fine. Also, if you ask nicely, proprietor Paul might even explain what “footballnotmuggybonehead” means.
http://www.classicfootballshirts.co.uk/
Another fun site that has lots of pictures of classic shirts. Good products that are a bit on the expensive side.
Yet another used football website from
At this point, pretty much everybody knows (and seems to use) eBay. There are still bargains to be found here, but there are also outrageous prices sometimes spent on very ordinary shirts. (Just this week I was astounded by the prices fetched by Eric Cantona shirts from the mid-1990s.) Anyway, when doing a search for football gear, be sure to include in that search sellers from other countries. While there are not many people in the
Brick-and-Mortar Shops
I am lucky to live in Southeastern Massachusetts, as the place is virtually a hotbed of soccer-themed stores here in
1 comment:
You forgot the best shop in the US. The Onion Bag Soccer Shop in North Bergen, NJ. Check out http://www.onionbag.com
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