Playmakers in Polyester: Chatting with Sheffield’s vintage football shirt seller Granny’s
I vividly remember, on my 7th birthday, getting the 2007/08 A.C. Milan home kit. As a Birmingham City fan, I was used to only donning the royal blue, so having my first ever non-Blues kit felt something of a luxury. The kit was gorgeous; the classic red and black stripes of the Rossoneri, with the iconic ‘bwin’ as the sponsor, and who else but Kaka - 22 on the back. It was brilliant. And, it is safe to say, it definitely kickstarted an obsession in me with foreign kits.
Most lads my age probably had a similar journey through football kits. You start with your own team kits, and then likely did A.C. Milan or Inter, and then moved on to Barcelona or Real Madrid. It is a classic pipeline. Every family holiday we took as a kid I can remember because of the associated (knock-off) Barcelona kit I got that year. I even remember the proprietor of one of these shops trying to convince me to get Bojan on that back, rather than Messi, because he was the future. Look how that worked out.
Many years on, and I have wasted a lot of money of football kits. 1995 Barcelona, 1988 A.C. Milan, 1995 Italy, 1990 and 1992 Ireland. I even have a 1995 Rayo Vallecano kit, and oh so many Birmingham City kits.
Recently, vintage football shirts have become a fashion trend in and of itself, with the rise of ‘blokecore’. Suddenly, the garish designs of the 90s and early 00s have become extremely fashionable. Now you can pair your 2002 Brazil top with jorts and Doc Martens loafers, or your 2007 A.C. Milan away strip with pleated brown trousers and sambas. Modern football kits are starting to take inspiration from these designs. The retro is becoming rather modern.
But what actually goes into selling vintage football shirts? Who are these devoted collectors who scour the earth looking for 80s and 90s Serie A kits?
Tom Granville, known as Granny to his mates, is a Sheffield lad who works full-time selling kits. Running his shop, Granny’s Football Store, out of a unit in Steamworks (coincidentally close to Bramall Lane), Tom has built up an impressive collection of vintage football shirts and other clothing, with jerseys from teams all over the world, including some incredible rare match-worn pieces. Selling them online and out of his Steamworks store, Tom is fast becoming one of the go-to kit sellers in the North, and his pop-up events are getting more and more popular. But how did he get started doing this?
“I am a Wednesday season ticket holder, for my sins, so I have always been into football”, explains Tom, “I even remember my first kit, it was a Kevin Pressman one from the Chupa Chups era- he was my hero. I even met him once. I began collecting more shirts, probably like a lot of people, by going on holiday and getting fake shirts. I got a Jaoquin Real Betis kit once and that was great. But eventually, when I was around 14 or 15, my pocket money ran out, and so to make some money I started buying and selling football tops, as well as other clothing.”
Tom Granville, owner of Granny’s Football Store
It is clear that it is going well for Tom. Having started around 6 years ago from his house, he has now been self-employed for around 2 years, and at Steamworks for a year. In some ways, however, this move to a physical store may seem strange; in a time where brick-and-mortar shops are seemingly on a downwards trajectory. Yet clearly it has worked, with videos on Tom’s instagram showing just how busy his pop-ups can be. “For me, it’s about the social aspect of it all. I enjoy chatting with people about their favourite kits. I am just glad it’s going well, and that I am able to do something I enjoy. It really doesn’t feel like work, so much”. Tom makes it clear that for him, this job is about the history of it all. Looking around the shop and seeing the scarves, the posters, the banners, and, of course, the tops, it’s easy to see how passionate Tom is about this.
Inside Granny’s Football Store, located at Steamworks in Sheffield.
Tom goes on to tell me the process of how he actually gets the shirts he sells: “A lot of it comes from the contacts I have built up over the years. Initially I leaned on people I knew when I had just been selling clothes generally, but now I have managed to built up some decent relationships with suppliers, people who know what sort of stuff I am after.”. And what is he after? “Variety. I am convinced there is a football kit for everyone, so I want to make sure I have enough to support that. It’s all handpicked as well, apart from the kids kits. Then when it comes to the actual kits themselves, I tend to gravitate towards 80s and 90s stuff., especially Serie A; like most people, I absolutely love Italian football due to Football Italia in the 90s. I have even managed to make it over to see a couple of games!”.
Of all the kits in his collection, one brand stands out: ABM. Based out of Parma, ABM made kits for a number of Serie A clubs, such as Fiorentina, Torino, and Palermo, in the 80s and 90s, and was worn by legends like Roberto Baggio. Whilst the brand is no longer operating at such a high level, Tom nevertheless continued to be obsessed with them, and eventually acquired a large collection of original ABM shirts. One day, he was contacted by ABM, as they wanted to recreate some of the old kits, and Tom’s collections featured some of the only remaining original shirts. “I ended up meeting the owners, who were this lovely old couple from Parma. They ended up borrowing 5 of the kits to re-issue as they literally did not have them.” It’s clear from hearing Tom speak about ABM that this experience is what football shirt collecting really means to him: it is a way of connecting with the past, and ensuring the important heritage of football clubs continues to survive.
But what about Tom’s own personal taste in kits? “I think my favourite kit ever is the Inter Milan 1997/98 away kit. Ronaldo is my favourite player ever, which is why he is the logo of Granny’s, and the image of him wearing that kit is just so iconic.” I inquired as to whether Tom had a holy grail kit, one that he has been after for a while but just hasn’t been able to get his hands on yet. “Morocco 1988 home kit- definitely.”
Tom’s favourite kit, the 1997/98 Inter Milan away kit.
Clearly, Tom’s passion, just like mine and many people’s personal tastes, gravitate towards vintage football kits. Whether it is the history attached to them, or the designs themselves, there is something about vintage football kits that makes them so desirable. But why do we not have the same attachment to modern kits? “I think they just lack character generally. You can still get some really beautiful modern shirts, especially from the last five years to be fair, but the kits from the 2000s were especially shit. The rise in templates is also a factor; shirts lack character. Look at the T90 kits this year; Chelsea didn’t even have a T90 kit originally. And the kits themselves are synthetic and have a weird fit, in my opinion at least.” I asked Tom if he was worried whether, with brands seemingly looking to recreate and reinterpret old kits, and even reproducing retro designs, vintage kits were going to become less valued: “No, I think it is the opposite actually. Whilst brands are definitely cottoning on to playing into memories, I think these changes have actually made vintage shirts more appealing, especially given the history associated with the shirts.”
It is hard to disagree with Tom, especially given the success Granny’s is having. Football is a uniquely emotional game, and the ability of football shirts to tap in to feelings of nostalgia is something that won’t change anytime soon.
I had to ask Tom one last before I left: who had the better kits, Wednesday or Blades?
“Definitely Wednesday! Although I will say Umbro smashed it for both teams. That Blades kit with ‘Laver’ as the sponsor, and the sash? Stunning.”
Granny’s Football Store operates both online and in-person at their store at the Steamworks in Sheffield. They run open days every month, with the next one being on 19th October. Keep an eye out on their socials for new stock, deals, or upcoming events.
Words: Charlie Sweeney
