Welcome back everyone! This time we sit down and speak to co-owners of the Non League Football Shop, Charles and Mitch. We discuss how the shop came about and what the future holds for them.
So let’s get into it!
Name – Charles
Age – 31
Favourite Team – Burton Albion
Occupation – Co-Owner Non League Football Shop
One thing I love about football is – Everything! But going to say a niche one Stats! I can’t go a day without seeing a football stat that blows my mind or wins an argument.
Football pet hate – Deluded United fans – you can’t shake them off!
Name – Mitch
Age – 31
Favourite Team – Burton Albion
Occupation – Co-owner Non League Football Shop
One thing I love about football is – last minute goals
Football pet hate – VAR and diving (games slowly going)
Q) How did the idea for The Non-League Football Shop first come about, and what inspired you to focus solely on non-league teams?
We are both Burton Albion fans, followed them since the non league days and it’s always hard to find older shirts for our own club so it snowballed from there.
Q) What was the journey like from the initial concept to launching the online shop? Were there any key moments that made you feel it would succeed?
Slow start naturally, learn as you go, but we started at the same time TikTok did and as we grew so did our profile and it became the sole reason for our success at the start, a lot has changed since then.
Q) How do you go about sourcing shirts from all these different non-league clubs? Do you partner directly with the clubs, or are there other methods?
It started as you imagine, buying and selling from ebay and Depop. However we soon outgrew this and reached out to loads of non league clubs and uk manufacturers. We soon developed direct relationships and buying in bulk allowed us to make a margin, we still hold a lot of the early relationships today. Now we also get clubs coming to us which is always a buzz for us!
Q) What was the first non-league shirt you ever sold, and how did that moment feel?
Aside from a Mystery Box – just had to check the orders, Chesterfield 05/06 brand new with tags! Be worth a lot more now!
Q) Can you describe the day-to-day operations of running an online shop focused on non-league football? What does a typical day look like for you?
Start of the day is always planning any social media posts, the processing orders, uploading any new shirts and any ad-hoc activities. Worst bit is all the accounting, taxes etc
Q) What are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced since launching the shop, both in terms of logistics and the business side of things?
Aside from the obvious of growing on social media. Hardest thing for us is getting our head around tax and VAT. The UK system is flawed in my eyes and there are too many constraints for small businesses to grow, no wonder so many businesses go under.
Q) How do you balance keeping your prices competitive while dealing with the costs of sourcing, stocking, and shipping non-league shirts?
Naturally it’s always a challenge. The price of retro non league shirts has sky rocketed in the last 2 years and with that it’s harder for us to source them. Often because the shirts were so limited or a small batch when produced on release, over 50% of the shirts we have stocked we haven’t ever seen again or been able to restock so many you could say are rare so pricing is a minefield at times
Q) Non-league football has such a passionate fanbase—how have the fans and clubs responded to the shop so far?
Mixed bag, naturally non league clubs are often ran by an older generation who aren’t used to products such as football shirts being sold digitally, especially non league. It’s the club shop or nothing to them. So sometimes we have to explain we are raising the profile of the club and shirt. Often the shirts we sell are past season shirts, we never compete with clubs on current season shirts, we never want to take a sale away from a club only use our platform to generate our own.
Q) What’s been the most surprising or unexpected feedback you’ve received from either customers or clubs since starting the business?
The scale of interest from international football fans is amazing. We’ve sold to so many countries you can’t imagine, in every continent except Antarctica!
Q) Have there been any particularly rare or unusual non-league shirts that have been difficult to source or that hold a special place in your heart?
We’ve always wanted a Scarborough Black Death Vodka shirt as they are iconic but can also fetch £250+ so won’t be anytime soon!
Q) What are your thoughts on the growing interest in non-league football, and how do you think your shop plays a role in connecting fans to the grassroots level of the game?
It’s crucial. We have seen a massive influx of fans/attention to this side of the game which it has always deserved. But not only that from companies too! We’ve even seen them sponsoring their local! For example Buxton mineral water now sponsor Buxton FC and even Müller sponsor their local Market Drayton Town! It’s great to see and hope it continues!
Q) Running an online shop is often a constant balancing act—how do you manage stock levels, especially for smaller or less well-known clubs?
We’ve learnt which clubs are more popular than others so naturally we have more of a focus on those clubs. We also try to work with a mix of manufacturers so we can lean on various ones to keep stocked up
Q) Are there certain non-league teams or regions where you’ve seen a stronger demand for shirts, and if so, why do you think that is?
The bigger clubs always have more demand but there are some clubs where the shirts just never come up for resale on any platform making them more exclusive, off top of my head biggest stand out for this is Worthing FC the replicas are so rare!
Q) What do you think the future of non-league football looks like, and how does your shop fit into that picture?
It’s always good to see Non League get the limelight however it doesn’t always bring extra revenue for us. We have to work hard connecting people to their local or advertising the funky shirts that people get drawn to! We are still a small business so lots of growing to do!
Q) How do you stay motivated during tough times, such as dealing with supply chain issues or slower periods of sales?
It’s a good question and I can’t always say we do, there are always times you question if you are doing the right thing or ready to get out. But we are big believers in karma and at the end of the day we still believe in the business but I do think for the next step we might have to reach out of for external investment to really excel
Q) Where do you see The Non-League Football Shop in five years’ time? Are there any plans to expand, introduce new products, or maybe even collaborate with the clubs more closely?
Would love to expand into more European non leagues. Currently postage and import costs make this difficult as we want to keep the shirts as affordable as we can! Always want to expand to more UK non league clubs but would love to work with more influencers as well!
Q) What’s the one piece of advice you’d give to someone looking to start a niche online business like yours?
Do your research! We knew there was a little gap for us so we took it but I’d also like to think you couldn’t just enter our niche now. But I think women’s football could be the next big thing for anyone who has a passion for that side of the game
Q) If you could add one non-league shirt to your personal collection, no matter how rare, which one would it be and why?
Easy answer! Edgar Davids #1 shirt! Yes I know you could argue it was from when they were in the Football League but they’re a non league club so it counts for me! He’s just a legend and it’s mad to think he played for Barnet and then wore number 1 !!
Q) Do you think non-league football and its merchandise have a unique appeal compared to mainstream leagues, and if so, what makes them so special?
100% the freedom for a club to do whatever they want is always there! Whether it’s a local connection or a mad jazzy shirt. A lot of the big clubs play it too safe
Q) What does success look like for The Non-League Football Shop? Is it about growing the business, supporting the clubs, or something else entirely?
It’s bringing non league to the everyday football fan. Making fans discover their local alongside the team they support. I hate when people say you can’t have 2 clubs. When are City of Liverpool FC ever gonna be alongside Everton or Liverpool in the Prem. There are no rules make your own 👍
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A massive thank you to both Charles and Mitch for their time in running through their journey so far, the pair spotted a gap in the market and have really run with it. The dedication they have shown to growing their shop has massively help in growing the appeal and awareness of the non-league scene.
The growing trend of the Mystery box shirts twinned with the fact that Non-league teams offer much more exciting and eccentric designs has drawn more people to non-league and with them then interested they then take more of an interest in the actual football side of things.
I am a massive fan of what they have done and continue to do and anyone who wasnt aware of them before this article I would emplore you to head to their website and check them out:
https://www.nonleaguefootballshop.co.uk/
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And before I let you all go – there are just a few hours left for the Football Content Awards voting and as I am up for Best in Non-league Editorial I would massively appreciate your votes!
Head Here: https://footballcontentawards.com/voting/
(Selecting Best in Non-League, Editorial, Through the Turnstile of non-league football, then scroll to the bottom and submit)
Until next time!
Through The Turnstile of Non-League Football 
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