Knowledge, advice and stories from the world of football shirts — from restoration and shirt care to authenticity and collecting.
Explore our guides and articles covering authenticity, shirt care, restoration and collecting — with new practical information added as the Journal grows.
A practical guide to checking labels, product codes, construction, badges, sponsors, namesets, shirt versions and provenance — and why no single tag can prove a shirt is genuine.
Read the guide →Simple advice on washing football shirts separately, turning them inside out, using a washing bag, keeping the temperature at 30°C or below and avoiding fabric softener.
Read the guide →A straightforward guide to the terminology used around football shirts, including replica, authentic, player issue, match issue, match worn and counterfeit.
Read the guide →How to use product and style codes to identify a shirt, check its colourway and investigate authenticity — and why a genuine code can still appear on a counterfeit.
Read the guide →Understand the difference between shirt specification and provenance, what “match issued” actually means, and what collectors should look for when a shirt is described as player issue or match worn.
Read the guide →What causes sponsors to crack, lift and deteriorate, how heat and washing affect them, and when preservation or professional restoration may be the better option.
Read the guide →Why namesets and numbers deteriorate, how heat and washing affect them, and when preserving, restoring or replacing a nameset makes the most sense.
Read the guide →Practical advice on folding, hanging, light, heat, humidity, storage materials and protecting the namesets, sponsors and details that make a shirt collectible.
Read the guide →Guides covering namesets, sponsors, patches and the restoration process.
Practical advice on washing, storing and looking after football shirts.
Manufacturer guides and practical checks for identifying genuine football shirts.
Stories, knowledge and useful information from the football shirt world.