Experts say it is ‘no surprise’ fans are turning to fake strips in the face of the soaring cost of genuine gear
20:33, 08 Aug 2025
Real football kits are soaring in price [stock pic]
Real football kits are soaring in price [stock pic](Image: Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
Football fans are being ‘pushed into the arms of counterfeiters’ after 13 Premier League clubs ramped up replica kit prices this season. Experts say it is ‘no surprise’ fans are turning to fake strips in the face of the soaring cost of genuine clobber.
Research by the sports date analysts the Stadia Agency found Everton leads the way with a combined £15 price hike across its adult and junior shirts – the steepest increase in the league. Seven clubs now charge £85 for an adult shirt – the Premier League’s highest base price.
Arsenal, Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Newcastle and Fulham have joined Tottenham and Chelsea at that level. The average price of a full junior kit - shirt, shorts and socks - has climbed to £101.10. The most expensive full kids' kits are Chelsea’s and Tottenham’s at £116 followed by Everton’s at £115
Meanwhile counterfeit adult shirts can be bought for as little as £12.61 on average.
Full junior kits average just £13.03 – almost £88 cheaper than official versions.
A separate Stadia Agency study found the ‘real’ cost of football strips has shot up nearly 96% since 1995 - on top of inflation.
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The UK’s counterfeit shirt market is now worth £180-a-year.
For every genuine shirt sold 1.6 fakes are in circulation.
A total of 77.8% of fans admit knowingly buying a counterfeit shirt.
While 36% of parents admit buying a fake - with 23% snapping them up for their children.
The escalation in counterfeit shirt sales is being blamed on the rocketing price of official kits.
Over 65% of parents feel pressure to buy the newest shirt for their child each season.
Asked what a ‘fair price’ is 87.6% of fans chose £60 or less.
A massive 89.8% of fans now support a price cap on official kits.
A spokesman for the Stadia Agency said: “With Premier League kit launches underway for 2025/26 it’s clear that clubs haven’t learned their lesson on pricing and continue to fuel a massive market in fake kits.
“Seven of the eight clubs to release new shirts - including Arsenal, Man United, and Man City - have quietly raised prices again.
“Adult shirts now average £85 with junior kits climbing as high as £65.
“But the real cost to fans runs deeper.”
Using a new metric called Annualised Home Kit Price - aka AHKP - researchers tracked how much supporters pay per year to own their club’s latest home shirt.
The tool takes into account rising prices, inflation and more frequent releases.
Experts found in 1995 the inflation-adjusted AHKP for adults was £43.44.
Last season it was £85 – a 95.7% real increase.
For children’s kits it is up 91.2% from £32.25 to £61.67.
Daisy Wooliscroft, of sport analyst CasinoKings Consumer & Data Team, has said: “Even after adjusting for inflation fans are now being asked to pay twice as much for shirts as they did when the Premier League began.
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“With social media offering direct access to high-quality fakes at a fraction of the price it’s no surprise more supporters are turning to them - especially as clubs and manufacturers hike prices almost every season while household budgets are being squeezed.
“In many ways fans are being pushed into the arms of counterfeiters.”