The new England Euro 2024 shirt hit the headlines last month when it was revealed thanks to an £85 price tag – more than that of the Liverpool and Arsenal home Premier League shirts.
A children’s shirt costs £65, making it the most expensive England shirt in existence as Nike continues to push the price of wearing the country’s national shirt ever higher.
The England kit for the Euro 2020 tournament was nearly £20 cheaper and even last year shirts cost £75 for the ‘stadium’ version – a term used to describe a lower quality shirt. A full ‘authentic’ version as worn by the players costs £125 and £120 for a children’s size.
READ MORE: ENGLAND EURO 2024 KIT PRICES REVEALED AS MOST EXPENSIVE EVER
But the headline figure does not touch the surface of just how shockingly expensive the England shirt actually is.
If fans want to get a name on the back of the shirt it costs an extra £15, taking the price of a kid’s shirt to £80. The England store has four options; Stones, Kane, Maguire and Rice. Otherwise you can add a custom name and number for the same price. But remember, if England decide to change the player numbers the store helpfully remind you that refunds are not being offered.
Do you want the shirt to feature the Euro tournament badge, as seen by the players? That’s £10. So the price of a children’s shirt with a name, number and badge is now £90.
Oh, you want shorts too? That’ll be £33. The price is now £123 for a shirt and shorts. Socks? £18.
You are now looking at £141 for a full England kit for a child. Do the same for an adult and you are looking at £170-plus for the standard ‘stadium’ full kit.
Astonishingly, if you want all of the above but you want the authentic ‘match’ shirt as worn by the players the full kit with name and number, as well as the Euro badge comes in at £196. Nearly £200 for a single child to wear the full Engand kit for the tournament.
A junior season ticket at Anfield’s famous Kop is £165. You can see 19 games of football at one of the world’s most iconic stadiums in the most moneyed league in Europe for less than a full England kit that will be used for a single tournament.
According to ITV brands such as Nike are blaming inflation for the ridiculous price rises. It said: “Brands have also blamed the rising costs on inflation, citing that the materials and labour used to make these shirts have increased in price.”
What are the alternatives?
The easiest option is to simply not buy the new England kit. At some point demand will have to dip below a certain point to encourage brands to drop prices and make kits more affordable for the average football fan.
There are other options if you are not concerned with wearing the most up to date England shirt. The previous shirt, featuring the light blue faded design on both sleeves and worn in the last World Cup, is now on sale for £40.
Another option is to go down the retro route. The famous 1990 third blue shirt is one sale at Kitbag for £32. You can also get a replica of the Euro 1996 home shirt for £30 on Kitbag here.
England t-shirts are also an option. Argos has a simple but effective red t-shirt featuring the England badge in an ode to the 1966 World Cup winning side and the price is less than £12.
Our pick is something a bit different. Score Draw do some excellent retro and kit mashups and this stylish take on the 1990s home shirt is £25 and looks fantastic.
