A lot has been made of the price of England’s new World Cup Strip. The media having been shouting about this new top costing fans £90 to look like their heroes. It has received so much coverage that UK’s Prime Minister David Cameron has came out condemning Nike’s pricing of the strip.

But the thing is there is a £60 ‘stadium’ strip available too. The main difference between the two? Well the more expensive one has more technology in it, that allows you to keep cool and is tailor fit (Tight).

So really you have a choice on what top you get. Do you really need the £90 athlete England match shirt? Well looking at a lot of fans in the stadiums up and down the country and I can’t say that ‘athlete’ often springs to mind.

If you do play a lot of football then you probably play for a team, therefore already have a team kit. If five or seven-a-side is more your thing then you probably don’t need the super-duper match shirt if I am being honest.

I have been buying or had football kits bought for me for at least twenty years now. People, mainly parents, have often complained about prices.

On the whole, if you look at it as one single clothing purchase, you can see their point. Between £40-£60 for a replica top does seem very steep. But if I am being honest I have got my moneys worth out of most of my football strips. The ones I haven’t were down to me getting bigger or not liking the design anymore.

When I was in my teens and in my early twenties to mid-twenties I would play football for a least two days a week and sometimes up to fives games a week.

At that time I had quite a few kits.

So if you wear a top a lot during a year or so, then it makes sense. It isn’t any different than buying a designer pair of jeans or a pair of decent trainers.

There are also various tips for those of you over a certain age (i.e you’re a fully grown adult). Think when buying a new strip. Buy when then shops or online stores are having a sale. That’s usually just after Christmas but in recent years sites have been starting sales early in December or even November. Also get kits you really like and will still wear in a few years time. I usually get foreign strips, people don’t know how long you’ve had the top for and probably don’t care. I still wear a Boca Juniors shirt I got four or five years ago. I will now get one new shirt a year, usually as a present and get it during a sale.

Plus if you wear strips because you play football every week or so, then don’t go buying the full kit. Get a few pairs of socks and plain shorts, usually in white or black. They will be cheaper for you and will go with most strips.

If you like to wear your own clubs top, then why not get a really cool retro top that you loved as a kid or that brings back great times.

Obviously if you have money and like new strips then keep buying them. There should be no stigma attached with purchasing football tops.

In 1998 I probably got the most new strips I have had in one year. How did I pay for them? Well Birthday gifts, Christmas presents and I also had a part time job during the summer. So that meant I got a Lazio, the Jamaican, Perugia, Brazil, Scotland, Inter Milan and a Rangers kit.

Now at £42, I do think that is a bit much for kids strips. The fact that these children grow out of their tops at a fast rate should be remembered by the manufacturers.

I am also a fan of having a new home shirt brought out every two years and not every season. I would keep a new away top for every year just to give people a different choice. I think third tops don’t really need to change to often.

But I don’t agree with the premise that pressure from kids makes it difficult for the parents these days. As a parent you are the one that lays down the law. As a child I was given pocket money (£2 a week) and had budgets for Christmas and birthdays. I could then pick what I wanted and would get the odd surprise. But as I knew my budgets I never complained if I didn’t get anything extra. We should be teaching our kids about money from a young age.

Plus we also have to remember that economy and inflation also come into it when comparing prices. Everything seems to cost more now than it did a few years ago. For example in 1998 if a strip cost you £40 by inflation in todays money that would be £59.66.

By all means complain, as a consumer that is your right. But don’t be mislead by the press or by nostalgia that sometimes clouds your judgement. Things haven’t changed that much, plus be creative and patient and get yourself a good deal.

Also just be thankful we don’t live in Paris and support PSG as new strips in France can cost €85!

Posted on April 7th, 2014 by scott
Filed under: Article, Footballers Fashion