Fake v Authentic Soccer Jerseys: The Ultimate Guide

TORONTO, ON – For football fans, jerseys aren’t just a piece of fabric to wear on matchdays or as a fashion statement on the streets. Wearing your team on your back gives you a sense of identity. 

Here at Offside Boys we pride ourselves on supplying people with that feeling through vintage pieces while providing footy fans across the city with the opportunity to express themselves while wearing their team’s colours.

But we have to acknowledge the elephant in the room… Counterfeits. 

Nowadays investing with confidence can be hard. Not knowing exactly what you’re getting with your money is an issue we face on a daily basis, and we know you do too. Our goal is to always and only deal with authentic kits and memorabilia but that can become a tough task when there are so many fakes floating around out there.

But have no fear, as the Offside Boys are here. We wanted to put together a little cheat sheet to differentiate between the real vintage and the cheap knockoffs. So next time you’re thinking of buying a kit, make sure to keep these things in mind:

Price and Seller: Where Are You Finding Your Kit?

First things first… Where are you getting your jersey? Before buying a football kit the first thing you want to keep in mind is the seller. Are you buying from a site/retailer known for selling fakes? If so, stay away and find yourself a supplier with a good reputation in the space where you know you will avoid the risk of ending up with something you aren’t satisfied with. Oftentimes these places will give you a price that seems too good to be true and that’s because it is.

Official club stores and licensed retail sellers are a good spot to start if you are looking to grow your collection in a safe and a practical way. There, you won’t have to worry about verifying the legitimacy of the kit or checking any finer details… you know you’ll get the real deal.

Stitching: How’s It Looking?

The next thing you’re going to want to look at is the general make of the kit. If you are noticing cheap-looking stitching that doesn’t look made to last then you might have yourself a fake. The biggest and best brands in the world make products that should and will stand the test of time. Unless the jersey looks like it's been put through the wash or a local derby, it should be in decent condition that isn’t covered in loose threads, frayed materials, and uneven linings. 

Fake kits will also frequently be made with a thicker polyester that isn’t as breathable and can be rougher on your skin which can be a dead giveaway as well. Overall, if the jersey feels off it probably is and it might be worth checking its authenticity further before pulling out your wallet.

Tags: How’s The Fine Print?

If you’re buying a kit in person and have the chance to examine it freely, you are definitely going to want to have a look at the tags. Inside every licensed product, you’ll find a set of tags that may seem insignificant at first glance, but they can be the key to determining whether your jersey is real or fake. Product codes, holograms, and barcodes are all fundamental identifiers that can also be cross-checked online in order to verify the kits origins. 

It is very difficult to replicate these finer details. Fake soccer jerseys will typically have incorrect codes, missing elements, and information that doesn’t match other similar products online. Make sure to always check inside tags and labels before purchasing any vintage kit, it's the first thing we do and it should be the first thing you do too.

Printing: Is It Falling Apart?

Football kits have only gotten busier and busier as the years have gone on. At one point it was just a colour, and then a crest was added, followed by a sponsor (or sponsors depending on the league), and now the sleeves have been claimed. Most vintage pieces we find have several additions to the kit that can be investigated and that’s exactly what we do.

Make a point to really look at the stitching and details around the crest and sponsors, as most of the time cheap replicas will opt for the more inexpensive option when manufacturing as opposed to using something that will ward off peeling and fading. 

Sometimes, fakes will also just have off centered placements or fonts that are slightly off. I know the prospect of adding another grail to your collection can be exciting, but don’t overlook the obvious signs. 

Fake kits don’t only hurt the game, they also hurt the planet. 

Unlike authentic kits, counterfeit jerseys use cheap materials that are low quality and harmful dyes and plastics that are detrimental to the environment. Because of their inferior quality they also wear out much faster which means they end up in landfills much sooner.

But at the end of the day, a football kit is a football kit. If you aren’t too fussed with how authentic your kit is, this article isn’t for you. But if you’re constantly worried about whether or not you’re getting your hands on the real stuff, we hope this helps. 

Offside Boys thrives to only supply authentic pieces because we believe it helps the growth of the game and we support the idea of respecting the clubs and crests we don. 

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