Are these original 1980s shirts or reproductions?

Originals. Every shirt on this page was made and sold in the eighties. We do not stock remakes or modern retro versions of old designs.

How does eighties sizing compare to modern sizing?

It runs noticeably smaller and shorter. A shirt labelled large from this decade often measures like a modern medium. Use the pit to pit and top to bottom measurements on the product page rather than the label.

Did every eighties kit have a sponsor?

No. Sponsorship spread through the decade rather than arriving all at once, and national team kits generally stayed clean. An empty chest is usually a sign of an earlier eighties or a seventies shirt.

What condition should I expect?

Forty year old shirts show their age. Light fading, softened crests and small marks are normal and are described in the condition grade on every listing, with photos of the actual shirt.

What does shipping cost?

Shipping is free within the Netherlands and Belgium on orders from 100 euro, and free worldwide from 150 euro. Everything ships tracked.

1980S SHIRTS

The eighties are where a football kit stopped being only kit. Sponsors arrive on the chest, manufacturers start putting the same template on half of Europe, and shirts get a personality of their own. Everything here is an original from the decade, sold or worn at the time.

More information

What an eighties football shirt is made of

Heavier than anything you own now. Most eighties jerseys are a dense polyester or cotton blend that hangs away from the body, cut boxy through the chest with a knitted collar and matching cuffs. Crests are woven and stitched on rather than printed, sponsor lettering is flock or vinyl, and shirt numbers are usually on the back only. Long sleeves are still normal, not a design choice.

This is also the decade the shirt sponsor lands for good. Earlier seventies shirts carry nothing across the chest at all, which is the quickest way to place a kit if you are unsure what era you are looking at.

The clubs and countries in this decade

English and Scottish football is strongly represented, with Liverpool home and away kits, Everton, and Celtic in Umbro. From Italy there is Juventus in Kappa and AC Milan, plus smaller Serie A names like Atalanta in Ennerre, a label that barely left the peninsula.

On the international side sit the Netherlands centenary kit of 1989-90, Italy in Diadora, England from the 1986 World Cup, France in Adidas and the Soviet Union, a national team whose shirts stopped being produced altogether. Those last ones almost never resurface.

Umbro, Adidas and the template era

Umbro dominates the British game in these years, Adidas supplies most of the continent, and Kappa builds its reputation on the tight Italian cut. Because manufacturers reused the same base design across many teams, an eighties template shirt is often recognisable by its shoulder trim before you have even seen the crest.

Fit and condition after forty years

Eighties sizing runs small and short by modern standards, so a shirt labelled large will often sit closer to a modern medium. Every product page carries pit to pit and top to bottom measurements taken flat, which is what you should compare against, not the label. Some honest wear is normal at this age and is reflected in the condition grade. If you are after the rarest pieces from these years, they sit in the grail shirts collection, and the decade that follows is in 1990s football shirts.

Good to know

Are these original 1980s shirts or reproductions?: Originals. Every shirt on this page was made and sold in the eighties. We do not stock remakes or modern retro versions of old designs.
How does eighties sizing compare to modern sizing?: It runs noticeably smaller and shorter. A shirt labelled large from this decade often measures like a modern medium. Use the pit to pit and top to bottom measurements on the product page rather than the label.
Did every eighties kit have a sponsor?: No. Sponsorship spread through the decade rather than arriving all at once, and national team kits generally stayed clean. An empty chest is usually a sign of an earlier eighties or a seventies shirt.
What condition should I expect?: Forty year old shirts show their age. Light fading, softened crests and small marks are normal and are described in the condition grade on every listing, with photos of the actual shirt.
What does shipping cost?: Shipping is free within the Netherlands and Belgium on orders from 100 euro, and free worldwide from 150 euro. Everything ships tracked.