Read on Twitter
A brief guide to football shirt buying jargon.
As presented by Mick McCarthy. Because why not?
(1/)
As presented by Mick McCarthy. Because why not?
(1/)
Everyone thinks they know what certain terms mean… but the definition one person assumes everyone else also knows could be completely different to someone else’s that they also assume everyone else knows. Isn’t that right? (2/)
I have a medium sized following of football kit enthusiasts so I decided to run three polls to see if people agreed on what a ‘replica’, ‘original’ and ‘match worn’ means to them. Spoiler alert: Not really. (3/)
First is ‘replica’. No one has a scooby. Of 76 respondents, a quarter think it’s more likely to be code for fake than anything else. Of the remainder, 2/3 of them say replica is made during the season and 1/3 could be any time. (4/)
So voters think a replica shirt is: Literally a shirt. We expect it to be made at any time, by anyone, and sold to the public. All we agree is that a replica isn’t for the players. Which we already knew. Don’t read too much into the term ‘replica’. (5/)
Which isn’t really good enough, is it?
(6/)
(6/)
Is it?
(7/)
(7/)
For ‘match worn’ there was a similar amount of respondents, but they did reach agreement. It’s a shirt literally worn in a match by a player. Yet a number of retailers don’t specify, feel the need to specify, (or know?) which match is referred to. We’ll come on to that. (/8)
For further clarity @TheHomeKit1 provides a pretty robust description, in that “Match worn’ = worn in the match, ‘Match issue’ = designed to match specifications but not worn”. (8/)
However ‘match issue’ can still be vague. Some manufacturers create two different shirts for public sale. Nike sell a ‘vapor’ design with a tighter fit which players wear and ‘stadium’ fit with a less close cut which, being honest, is more forgiving on fan’s beer bellies. (9/)
'Player issue’ are the designs on public sale the players wear. Some sellers take ‘match issue’ more literally; shirts ‘issued’ for the players but not worn. There must a stream of 100s of shirts prepared per player and taken to each match given their prevalence. (10/)
I have a problem with this: If clubs take 5 shirts per player to a game, an ‘issued’ shirt only has a 1:5 chance of being used. Indeed it wasn’t used, the matchworn kit was, it never left the van in the car park. The player never saw it. That’s not the matchday experience. (11/)
So what’s the point in a match issue shirt? Is having a shirt ‘prepared’ sufficiently vague to allow sellers to describe multiple shirts and situations as all being ‘match issue’? To be safe, assume that match issue is just deadstock gained from a club that’s match specs. (12/)
(Whisper it, but ‘match issue’ could be a way for some unscrupulous sellers to imply a shirt was near the first team to increase its appeal/price without specifying how, given it’s hard to prove. You're safer with a credible seller.) (13/)
The poll also came with a question ‘what do you accept as proof for match worn?’. Absolutely no one answered this. Perhaps apathy stopped all 74 voters answering? Perhaps no one wanted to stand up and announce an answer when one agreed form of proof doesn’t exist? (14/)
In truth there will be different match worn verification. You can’t have one definitive proof for every shirt. You won’t have a player selfie from the 60s, and Robinho isn’t going to pose for a photo with you holding an inside left label to the camera. (15/)
Authenticity docs are often made on MS Word so easy to forge. The lack of consistency in agreed proof means it’s on you, the buyer, to ask. There are a lot of good, reputable sellers and they will attempt to provide proof. Basic research will show a credible seller. (16/)
But if you’re interested, the jazzy shirt I am wearing today was definitely worn by Mick the other week. I have a photo of him wearing it. It’s the exact same one. Yours for only £150. DM me. (17/)
Finally, ‘original’ football shirts. Not the most accurate survey with 21 respondents. I don’t blame you for being bored with polls but come on THIS IS SCIENCE. (18/)
Roughly 2/3 of the respondents think an original is a shirt that was made during that particular season, but 1/3 think it could be made any season it just isn’t a fake. So again the public don’t have uniform agreement on this but it’s a general positive term. (19/)
So the public think that: Replica just means a shirt, cheers. Match worn means worn in a match but proving it is tough. Match issue is the same design OR ‘prepared’ for the first team, take your pick. Original means not a fake, made at any time and general goodness. (20/)
Is there anything you’d like to add that the respondents got wrong or failed to clarify? Reply below! Subscribe to my weekly kit newsletter here: http://eepurl.com/g-Gv4r . Thank you for reading, I knew that weird folder in my phone photos would come in useful one day. (21/fin)
I know I said that was the last one, but: If ever in doubt, use a credible seller. There are loads on twitter, those who are the most vocal with the biggest following tend to have a big following because they're the good guys. 
