Classic Football Shirts
A specialist retailer of authentic classic, rare, vintage, retro, and contemporary football shirts and related apparel.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Classic Football Shirts is a football-apparel retailer founded in Manchester in 2006 by Matthew Dale and Doug Bierton. The company focuses on authentic football shirts from different periods of the sport, including historic club and national-team shirts, rare collectible pieces, vintage designs, retro reissues, and contemporary football apparel. Its proposition combines specialist retailing, football memorabilia, fashion, and online commerce. The business began after Dale and Bierton had completed university and developed an interest in football shirts as collectible objects. From its Manchester base, Classic Football Shirts built an extensive e-commerce operation supported by inventory, authentication, cataloguing, and fulfilment activities. The company’s merchandise extends beyond match shirts to associated sportswear and football-related apparel, although shirts remain its defining category. Classic Football Shirts expanded its physical infrastructure as its inventory and customer base grew. In 2011 it moved into warehouse premises near Manchester’s Etihad Stadium. In 2020 it relocated to a substantially larger 75,000-square-foot headquarters and warehouse in Manchester. The retailer also tested physical customer experiences through temporary shops before opening its first permanent store in Manchester’s Barton Arcade in 2018. It later added a London location. The company’s marketing has included an active social-media presence and football-club sponsorships. It served as a front-of-shirt sponsor for Burnley during the 2022–23 season and for Parma Calcio 1913 during the 2023–24 season. These partnerships connected the retailer’s vintage and historic-shirt identity with current professional football. North American expansion became a major strategic focus in the 2020s. In 2023 the company operated temporary stores in Miami, New York City, and Los Angeles to assess demand and build awareness in the United States. In May 2024 it secured its first external investment, receiving US$38.5 million (£30.5 million) in growth equity from The Chernin Group. The funding was intended to support international growth, particularly in North America ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Cormac Barry became executive chairman at the time of the investment. Classic Football Shirts subsequently opened permanent stores in New York City in May 2024 and Los Angeles in October 2024. In September 2024 it announced further investors associated with sports and media, including ventures connected with Rob McElhenney and Alex Morgan, as well as Wasserman Ventures. Classic Football Shirts operates at the intersection of football culture, collectibles, and fashion. Its appeal is built around nostalgia, club identity, rarity, historical design, and the use of football shirts as everyday clothing. The broader visibility of football in North America and fashion trends such as “blokecore” have helped create a more receptive environment for its products. The company remains a private, active retailer headquartered in Manchester, with physical stores in the United Kingdom and United States alongside its international online business.
History
Classic Football Shirts was established in Manchester in 2006 by Matthew Dale and Doug Bierton after they had finished university. The founders built the business around the trade in authentic football shirts, initially serving a specialist audience interested in historic designs, rare items, and collectible club and national-team apparel. The company’s online retail model enabled it to offer a broad and geographically diverse inventory while remaining rooted in Manchester. As the operation expanded, the company developed larger warehousing and fulfilment capacity. In 2011 it moved into a warehouse near Manchester’s Etihad Stadium. This location supported the growing stock base and the operational requirements of an increasingly substantial e-commerce business. In 2020, Classic Football Shirts moved to a 75,000-square-foot headquarters and warehouse in Manchester, providing additional space for inventory and business operations. The retailer gradually added physical retail to its online presence. After operating a series of pop-up shops, it opened its first permanent store in Manchester’s Barton Arcade in 2018. A London store followed, giving the business a presence in two prominent UK retail and football-culture markets. Its physical stores provided opportunities to display shirts as collectible and fashion objects, rather than treating them only as conventional sports merchandise. Classic Football Shirts also used football partnerships to raise its profile. It entered front-of-shirt sponsorship agreements with Burnley for the 2022–23 season and Parma Calcio 1913 for the 2023–24 season. These arrangements gave the retailer visibility within current professional football while reinforcing its connection with historic and contemporary shirt culture. The company began assessing the United States market through temporary shops in Miami, New York City, and Los Angeles in 2023. The pop-up program preceded a larger international expansion strategy. In May 2024, Classic Football Shirts secured US$38.5 million (£30.5 million) in growth equity from The Chernin Group, its first external investment. The stated purpose of the funding was to support global expansion, with a particular focus on North America in advance of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Cormac Barry was appointed executive chairman in connection with this development. Permanent US retail followed in 2024. Classic Football Shirts opened a New York City store on Canal Street in May and a Los Angeles store on North Fairfax Avenue in October. In September, the company also announced additional sports- and media-connected investors, including ventures associated with Rob McElhenney and Alex Morgan and Wasserman Ventures. The business’s development reflects the broader evolution of football shirts from team merchandise into collectible, archival, and lifestyle products. Classic Football Shirts serves customers interested in football history and authenticity, while also benefiting from fashion trends that incorporate football jerseys into casual clothing. Its active social-media presence, physical retail, sponsorships, and international expansion have positioned it as a specialist football-culture retailer rather than a conventional club-only merchandise seller. It remains an active private company headquartered in Manchester, with UK and US stores supported by international e-commerce.
- 2024
First external investment secured
[1]The Chernin Group invested US$38.5 million (£30.5 million) in growth equity, supporting the company’s international expansion plans.
- 2024
Permanent New York store opens
[1]Classic Football Shirts opened a permanent store on Canal Street in New York City.
- 2024
Permanent Los Angeles store opens
[1]The retailer opened a permanent Los Angeles location on North Fairfax Avenue.
- 2024
Additional investors announced
[1]The company announced further investors connected with sports and media, including ventures associated with Rob McElhenney and Alex Morgan and Wasserman Ventures.
- 2023
US pop-up expansion
[1]The retailer operated temporary stores in Miami, New York City, and Los Angeles to test and develop the US market.
- 2023
Parma sponsorship begins
[1]The company became a front-of-shirt sponsor of Parma Calcio 1913 for the 2023–24 season.
- 2022
Burnley shirt sponsorship begins
[1]Classic Football Shirts became a front-of-shirt sponsor of Burnley for the 2022–23 season.
- 2020
Relocation to larger Manchester headquarters
[1]The company moved to a 75,000-square-foot headquarters and warehouse in Manchester.
- 2018
First permanent retail store opens
[1]After using temporary shops, Classic Football Shirts opened its first permanent store in Manchester’s Barton Arcade.
- 2011
Move to warehouse near the Etihad Stadium
[1]The company expanded its operating base by moving into warehouse premises near Manchester’s Etihad Stadium.
Products and positioning
A specialist, culture-led football retailer positioned around authenticity, rarity, nostalgia, historical design, and the crossover between football memorabilia and streetwear.
Football apparel · 2006
Classic football shirts
The core assortment consists of authentic shirts associated with past football seasons, clubs, competitions, and national teams. These products are presented as pieces of football history as well as wearable apparel, with value influenced by design, age, provenance, scarcity, and cultural significance.
Collectibles · 2006
Vintage and rare football shirts
Classic Football Shirts specializes in older, uncommon, and collectible garments sought by supporters, collectors, and fashion consumers. The category emphasizes historic identity and rarity, covering notable club and national-team designs alongside less common items from different football eras.
Football apparel
Contemporary football shirts
Alongside historical merchandise, the retailer sells contemporary football shirts. This connects its archival selection with current football culture and gives customers access to newer club and national-team apparel through the same specialist retail channel.
Sportswear
Related sportswear and football apparel
The wider assortment includes related sportswear and football clothing. These products complement the shirt range and support the company’s positioning at the intersection of football fandom, sports apparel, memorabilia, and everyday streetwear.
Marketing campaigns
- 2023Parma Calcio 1913 front-of-shirt sponsorship
Italy · International
The company sponsored Parma Calcio 1913 on the front of the club’s shirt during the 2023–24 season, reinforcing its relationship with football heritage and international club culture.
Outcome. The partnership gave Classic Football Shirts visibility in Italian and international football markets.
- 2022Burnley FC front-of-shirt sponsorship
United Kingdom
Classic Football Shirts appeared as Burnley’s front-of-shirt sponsor during the 2022–23 season, using a current professional football partnership to promote its specialist shirt-retailing identity.
Outcome. The sponsorship connected the retailer with an established English football club and expanded its visibility beyond its own retail channels.
Brand decisions
2024
Raise external growth capital for international expansionStrategyBackground
After developing its UK retail and e-commerce operation and testing the US market, Classic Football Shirts pursued funding for broader international growth.
Action taken
The Chernin Group provided US$38.5 million (£30.5 million) in growth equity, described as the company’s first external investment.
Aftermath
The investment supported an accelerated North American strategy, including permanent stores in New York City and Los Angeles. Cormac Barry became executive chairman.
Growth equity investment. US$38.5 million (£30.5 million) (May 2024)
2024
Open permanent New York and Los Angeles storesOtherBackground
The company’s 2023 US pop-ups indicated a basis for establishing a longer-term retail presence in major American cities.
Action taken
Classic Football Shirts opened a New York City store on Canal Street in May and a Los Angeles store on North Fairfax Avenue in October.
Aftermath
The openings established the retailer’s permanent physical presence in the United States.
2023
Test the US market through pop-up storesStrategyBackground
The company sought to evaluate demand for its football-shirt proposition outside the United Kingdom and opened temporary locations in Miami, New York City, and Los Angeles.
Action taken
Classic Football Shirts used a series of US pop-up stores as a market-entry and customer-acquisition test.
Aftermath
The activity preceded permanent store openings in New York City and Los Angeles in 2024.
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