Football kits: Should Premier League clubs return to two-year kit cycle?

There was a time when buying a new football shirt meant you could reasonably expect your team to wear it for more than one season. Arsenal's famous bruised-banana away kit survived from 1991 to 1993, while Manchester United's iconic blue-and-white away shirt was worn across the 1990/91 and 1991/92 campaigns.

Supporters could buy a top without worrying that it would be old stock before the following summer. Every summer brings another unveiling, another collection of promotional photographs and another explanation of how the new shirt celebrates a local landmark, an architectural feature or some obscure anniversary.

Find out how you can help you team rise up the Pledgeball League table The home kit is joined by away and third strips, often with special editions thrown in. It's a lucrative business, but also an increasingly difficult one to reconcile with football's environmental ambitions.

Brentford have demonstrated that another approach is possible. Their new home shirt, launched in July 2026, will remain in use throughout the 2026/27 and 2027/28 seasons.

Manufactured by Joma from recycled polyester, it continues the club's policy of retaining kits for multiple seasons where commercial agreements allow. The Bees briefly departed from that approach in 2025/26, partly because their shirt sponsorship arrangement was ending.

Their latest launch restored the two-year cycle and froze prices across adult and children's sizes. At £65 for an adult replica shirt, Brentford's offering is also comparatively affordable - although that's still a heck of a lot of money for a shirt.

The obvious question is what would happen if the other 19 Premier League clubs followed suit. According to Salary Sport's 2026/27 price survey, the average adult Premier League replica home shirt costs approximately £77.

Tottenham charge £90, while Arsenal, Liverpool and both Manchester clubs charge £85. For a supporter who would otherwise buy a new home shirt every summer, a two-year cycle could cut spending from £154 to £77 over two seasons, assuming prices remain unchanged.

Someone who buys home, away and third shirts annually could save considerably more, provided clubs retained all three designs and supporters didn't simply spend the money on other merchandise. For families with children, annual kit releases can become an expensive ritual, particularly once names, numbers and matching shorts are included.