More than a shirt: How merchandise became the cultural engine of modern sport

Merchandise has long been a core component of revenue generation for sports organisations. Shirts, scarves and hats have filled club shops for decades, giving fans a tangible way to show support while offering teams a reliable income stream. The 1999 Manchester United treble-winning kit, for example, became an enduring symbol of sporting success and a commercial bestseller, and was even brought back during the 2019/20 season.  

However, the role of merchandise is evolving. What was once a transactional outlet for fandom has become a sophisticated platform for cultural expression and commercial innovation. Today, merchandise sits at the intersection of sport, fashion and identity – and it’s driving growth in entirely new ways. 

The football shirt as cultural capital 

In 2025, the football shirt has transcended its origins. Depop reported a 100% increase in searches for “football shirt” in the first half of the year, driven not by matchday needs but by demand from fashion-conscious consumers. The modern football shirt is as likely to be found on the runway (or even the MetGala on Rosalia) or at a music festival as it is in the stadium. 

Collaborations between clubs and fashion brands are driving this shift. Arsenal’s partnership with London-based streetwear label Aries created a kit that appealed to design-led audiences, with resale markets surging after the initial drop sold out. The line has expanded far beyond a football shirt and instead resembles a full fashion-line drop (26 Arsenal-adajacent items available in total), showing this deepened relationship between football and fashion.  

Cross-industry collaborations 

But it is not just reserved for football. The influence of merchandise now extends across industries. Music artists, for instance, are tapping into the football shirt format to make statements of their own. Electronic musician Fred Again released a custom football shirt for his Glastonbury set, merging the aesthetics of sport with the language of live performance. Dua Lipa’s manager, Dukagjin Lipa explains “Football shirts aren’t just uniforms, they are symbols of passion, hard work and team spirit. They bring that passion (of fans) to life”. Sports merchandise is being used to represent emotions and reflect sporting values, particularly in the US where commitment to one team is less tribal and allegiance is more fashion driven. 

In the golf industry, the merchandising model has expanded in similar ways. Apparel brand TravisMathew has decided to partner with Guinness – a brand undergoing a carefully orchestrated image revival – to create a limited-edition golf shoe. With only 1,759 pairs produced, the release combined exclusivity with cross-market appeal. Guinness further extended this strategy through a high-end collaboration with Bettinardi, producing putters retailing at $1,900, designed to associate the brand with a premium lifestyle audience. These are not novelty items but part of intentional strategies to connect with new consumers through sport, design and scarcity. 

Merchandise as brand strategy 

This evolution signals a broader trend: merchandise is no longer a secondary revenue lever – it is a strategic asset. It enables organisations to reach new audiences, cultivate relevance in youth markets, and tell stories that resonate across demographics. 

As the female fanbase in sport grows and younger consumers continue to blur the boundaries between sport, fashion and entertainment, the opportunity becomes even greater. Merchandise can become the medium through which these audiences connect with a brand’s values, story and identity. 

For commercial partners, merchandise also offers an entry point into passionate communities. Through co-branded apparel and purpose-driven collaborations, brands can align with the cultural energy of sport and generate attention, affinity and advocacy in return. 

Implications for sports organisations 

To capture this value, sports organisations and brands alike need to rethink their approach. Success will depend on: 

• Tapping into the new cultural generation – understanding your audience and building a consumer strategy that targets the zeitgeist, rather than traditional (or legacy) ideas. A directed approach will drive stickier fans that will spend more money over time investing into your brand or sports organisation.  

• Positioning merchandise as part of a wider narrative of your organisation, team or brand – not just as product, but as content and community. 

• Creating a moment that is bigger than the item you’re selling, building consumer trust by understanding the values and drivers of your consumers. 

This can be achieved through many vehicles, such as collaborating with designers and culture-forward brands and creating limited editions that tap into scarcity economics. This is a commercial channel that demands creative strategy, not just retail execution. It requires thinking like a brand, not just a team. 

How Elixirr can help 

Elixirr can help sports organisations and brands alike transform merchandise from retail output into strategic brand infrastructure. We work with clubs, leagues and commercial partners to align product strategy with cultural moments, driving relevance, growth and revenue at scale.