Bradley Staer's collection of 150 football jerseys tells the story of his life and his journey in the sport."A lot of people of my age will remember watching them in the '90s and how successful they were," he says.Some of his favourite jerseys are from the now-defunct A-league franchise North Queensland Fury, Spain legend Andrés Iniesta's Vissel Kobe shirt picked up during a trip to Japan, and Finland's home and away jerseys from 2015.
"People were just looking for something extra to do," says Tim Morley, owner-operator of the Football House.Tim Morley's passion for vintage football shirts has evolved from a hobby to a full-time job over the past 15 years."Some items that I may not have been able to sell for $50-70 back in the day- They're now collectible things that people are willing to pay $250 plus for.
"I think football shirt collecting and incorporating it into your everyday wear is becoming a trend."Mariame Choucair has built a social media following with her football photos.She has a collection of "about 150 to 160" jerseys, mostly Sydney FC, along with Socceroos, Matildas, Everton and Germany shirts."One of my favourite shirts in my collection is my 1990 West Germany World Cup home shirt, and it's in a long sleeve. And it's really, really hard to come by.
"It's just a good way to sort of fund the collection without too much coming out of my pocket," he says.Vintage markets, eBay and Facebook are the key tools for kit collectors.A common tactic is to buy jerseys of an up-and-coming talent, which could soar in value if they become a superstar.is one such player whose jersey could be in high demand in the coming years."But I just think it's a wonderful memory of his time in the A-league as well.
Nike experienced record-breaking demand during the World Cup for the now-iconic Matildas home jersey.AAP: Darren EnglandMackenzie Arnold's purple goalkeeper shirt sold out instantly earlier this year when it was finally made available for fans to purchase."It doesn't matter if you're female or male or whatever gender it is that you are.