Premier League clubs ‘ripping off’ parents by charging up to £42 for a six-month-old baby’s replica kit
The outrage comes as the Sun Online can reveal the spiralling cost of kid's football kits
THE country's richest football clubs are scoring a massive own goal by charging a fortune for kits for their very youngest fans.
The outrage comes as the Sun Online can reveal the spiralling cost of kids' football kits - with some charging £42 for a tiny BABY'S strip.
Although the clubs say they do not make a fortune selling shirts, campaigners believe they should absorb some of the cost to reward their loyal fans.
Manufacturers pay massive sums to clubs for the licence to make replica kits.
Manchester United signed a world record £750million kit deal with Adidas last year.
Campaigners want a slice of these huge sponsorship deals to be put aside to make strips more affordable.
Justine Roberts, Mumsnet CEO said "Our users have said overwhelmingly that they think football merchandise is a rip off.
"It's a shame that clubs who generate vast revenues choose to exploit their very youngest supporters in this way."
The Football Supporters' Federation said: "Kids' replica kits can be expensive items and this can be an issue for many parents although for match-going fans the focus tends to be on high ticket prices.
"There are some steps which clubs could take - for instance it would be nice if clubs put "use by" dates on strips so parents buying kits mid-season would at least know for how long their clubs would be using that kit."
Among the 'worst offenders' in our survey are Tottenham who charge £42 for a baby kit (0-24months) closely followed by North London rivals Arsenal who sell their's for £38 ( 4-12months).
Manchester United and Chelsea are asking £35 for their tot's outfits.
While Manchester City charge £33 and Liverpool 'just' £30.
The official England baby kit cost £38 from the Nike website.
Earlier this year, it was revealed some football fans pay a 1,000 per cent mark up on replica shirts.
A Premier League club shirt sells at an average £49.45 but costs less than £5 to produce.
The mark-up makes a huge profit for sportswear firms and retailers.
But workers in the Far East who make the kits earn less than 80p an hour.
And research by sports merchandising expert Peter Rohlmann shows that once manufacturers, shops and the Government have taken their share, the club is left with £3.
A shirt costs an average £4.79 to produce including fabric, labour and shipping costs.
Retailers earn the most from mark-ups, raking in £18.13 per shirt with companies like Adidas and Nike make £12.76 profit.
Marketing and distribution account for other costs. Then each customer has to pay 20 per cent VAT , adding a further £8.24 to the retail price.
Adidas told the Sunday People : “Retailers can choose the price at which they sell goods.”
A Nike spokesman added: “The cost of fans’ shirts reflects the investments made in design, innovation, development, and manufacturing.
“The suggested retail price for fans’ shirts is consistent with pricing across the football replica industry.”