Classic Football Shirts Shop Manchester

Manchester isn’t just home to two of the best-known football teams in the world – it’s also home to one of the best known football shirt shops. The Classic Football Shirts Shop was born here in 2006, when two Manchester University students Matt Dale and Doug Bierton hit upon the idea of selling secondhand footy shirts. They now sell millions of shirts all across the globe online – and a smaller but still substantial number from their trio of shops in London, New York and – where it all started – Manchester.

The Manchester shop used to be on Deansgate before moving to bigger premises on Dale Street. It sells vintage official football shirts from teams worldwide with prices ranging from £20 up to about £400. As you’d expect, they have an especially good coverage of Manchester United and Manchester City shirts spanning the last 30-40 years or so – though what exactly you’ll find will depend on when you visit. They’ve also recently started working with Adidas to supply new season kits for some teams. 

Coming here is a bit of a pilgrimage for football shirt collectors (and football fans in general) so they’ve tried to make it into more than just a shop. There’s a cafe-bar downstairs with a big screen and retro PS1 football games you can play for free, and they sometimes hold events. They recently decked out the cafe to look just like a teenage City supporter’s bedroom in the 1990s, complete with branded bedding, wallpaper and curtains, and a chunky home computer – check the pics on their Instagram for a real blast from the past. It’s also where you’ll find details of forthcoming events and shirts that have just arrived in the shop.