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Collector Les Motherby says classic kits are often better value than new ones
A man who has spent more than £40,000 on football shirts believes the new England kit is overpriced for families.
Les Motherby, from East Yorkshire, started his collection of 240 replica and original kits, including England shirts worn by Peter Crouch and Mark Hateley, in the 1990s.
An England kit for a child could cost up to £123 and Motherby said: "I'm a grown adult with disposable income. It's very different when you're bringing up a family and all of those kids want kits. I have a lot of empathy."
England kit-maker Nike said it regularly reviewed product costs to ensure "we're delivering the best possible performance" while "balancing rising material, manufacturing and logistics costs".
A spokesperson added: "We know that any price increase matters to fans, and we never take that lightly."
Last month, BBC Sport told how purchasing an England shirt and shorts, with name and number for a child aged between seven and 15, would cost up to £122.98 from the Football Association website.
The full infant kit with name and number would cost £64.99.
Motherby said replica kits had always been a "premium item".
"But the fact that it's always been that way since the 90s would suggest that people keep stumping up the money for them," he added.
"And I think until people sort of say, 'we're not going to do this', I think the brands would act accordingly."
Offside via Getty Images
Motherby says fans can get "kudos" by wearing older kits, such as the 1986 version
Motherby said in the 1980s replica kits were aimed squarely at children, but had become more popular among adults from the early 90s.
Talking about international kits, he said: "In the 90s you could pick up a replica shirt for about £30, whereas now they're about £80 to £90, which certainly seems ahead of inflation.
"There are alternatives. I remember when I was a kid there was a real stigma to wearing old shirts - that stigma doesn't exist any more.
"With the World Cup coming up, people might get kudos for wearing an old, classic shirt.
"You can pick up some bargains and some classic England shirts."
Motherby started collecting replica shirts after watching his first Hull City game when he was six.
But he said his hobby moved to another level when he realised he could buy genuine shirts worn by players during matches.
"A game can't happen without two kits that distinguish the sides, and when you realise you can collect those, you think, I'm actually collecting pieces of a club's history."
Graham Walker feels the England kit is too expensive for most Grimsby families
Grimsby parent Graham Walker, who has two children aged eight and three, described the price of the England kit as "pretty disgusting".
"It's not really affordable for 75% of people around here," he said.
"The manufacturers know the kids will want them. There's an element of keeping up with the other kids at football training."
He felt his local club, Grimsby Town FC, offered a more affordable alternative.
A kids' kit, which usually costs £66, has been been reduced to £62 in the Mariners' spring sale.
