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A chance encounter at a wedding with a sportswear buyer kicks off a fast, funny, and deeply practical tour of the football kit business. We break down the hidden economics behind those £70 shirts using Porter’s Five Forces, showing where brand power wins, where it leaks, and how clubs and manufacturers really negotiate.

We start with the state of play: intense rivalry among Adidas, Nike, and Puma; contracts that churn every few years to refresh revenue; and why fans pay premiums even when material costs are low. From there, we get into barriers to entry at the top tier, the quiet role of multi‑club ownership in bundling deals, and what it takes for a new brand to be taken seriously by a Premier League team. It’s not price—it’s credibility, distribution, and launch reliability across global markets.

Substitutes cut from two sides. Material innovation tempts performance gains, but counterfeits hit harder, siphoning demand with £10 replicas. We talk practical defence: authenticity programmes, exclusive drops, better storytelling, and delivery that beats the grey market on experience, not just cost. Buyer power sits with the clubs—only 20 to sell to and all well‑informed—while supplier power belongs to factories that can scale ethically without missing day‑one demand. Along the way we test a make‑versus‑buy mindset for fitness brands eyeing football, and find niches where challengers can still win: women’s lines, training ranges, and even officiating kits if the proposition is bold enough.

If you’re curious how procurement logic, brand strategy, and fan emotion collide, this one delivers sharp insights with a smile. Subscribe, share with a friend who argues about kits every season, and leave a review to tell us which force you think dominates the modern game.

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