The hub for vintage soccer jerseys, Classic Football Shirts, has added several strategic investors, including actor and Wrexham AFC co-owner Rob McElhenney, just-retired soccer legend Alex Morgan and global sports and entertainment giant Wasserman.
The deals were completed via their respective investment arms: More Better Ventures (McElhenney), Trybe Ventures (Morgan) and Wasserman Ventures.
Classic Football Shirts was founded in Manchester, U.K., in 2006 by college friends Doug Bierton and Matthew Dale and was self-funded until a $38.5 million investment from The Chernin Group (TCG) in May. The new investors also include Fox soccer analyst Stu Holden and tech executive Dan Rosensweig. Bierton wouldn’t disclose the size of the new investment, except to say total financing is now more than $40 million.
“We’ve grown so much organically,” Bierton said in a video interview. “Now with TCG and the new investors, it is going to turbocharge it, and we have a laser-sharp focus on what we can do.”
Classic Football Shirts carries vintage, current and game-worn jerseys from more than 1,000 soccer clubs—Manchester United is the best seller—and shipped to 134 countries last year. The company has been profitable since its founding and expects revenue to be “well north” of $50 million in 2024. The U.S. is the second-largest market after the U.K., with Korea third. The U.S. is also the fastest growing, with revenue up more than 100% over the previous year. In May, the company opened its first U.S. store in New York City and plans one for Los Angeles to open in October, joining Manchester and London as permanent locations.
Bierton thinks the new investors will help spur further growth in the U.S. ahead of the 2026 World Cup, set to be hosted in North America. McElhenney has helped make Wrexham a crossover hit with the club’s reality series. The It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia creator and star had been a Classic Football Shirt customer and “worked” at the Manchester store last month, with the ensuing video racking up more than three million views on Instagram. “This is an incredible opportunity to deliver the best possible experience to football fans and collectors worldwide,” McElhenney said in a statement.
Bierton is excited to work with Morgan, as he views women’s soccer jerseys as a huge opportunity. Morgan retired from soccer last weekend and has increasingly shifted her focus to expanding businesses where she is an equity holder, such as her media firm Togethxr. Morgan says she feels “uniquely positioned” to help the company capitalize on the rising popularity of women’s sports globally.
Regarding Wasserman’s expertise and reach, Bierton says, “It is to take it to the next level with everything we want to do in terms of partnerships, marketing and understanding the U.S. audience.” Morgan is a longtime Wasserman client.
Bierton credits TCG for helping bring in the new investors. Greg Bettinelli led the funding by TCG, whose investments have included Action Network, Barstool Sports, the Premier Lacrosse League and the newly launched Unrivaled Sports, founded by Josh Harris and David Blitzer to expand their youth sports holdings.
Soccer jerseys have become fashion accessories and an important part of overall global football culture, and while somewhat different business models, Bettinelli sees comparisons between Classic Football Shirts and GOAT, which soared with the rise of sneaker culture. Bettinelli invested in GOAT as a venture capitalist almost a decade ago and helped it become the leading sneaker resale platform in North America. “The large summer tournaments (Euros and Copa América) only reinforced how big we think the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America could be for the company,” Bettinelli said in an email.
