Art of Football

What Art of Football does

Art of Football Ltd. (DBA 'ART OF') is a UK-based, fan-led direct-to-consumer e-commerce brand that designs, produces, and sells officially licensed football-themed apparel and accessories. Operating from Nottingham, the company runs a Shopify-powered online storefront at art-of.com offering a catalog of 1,000+ products across t-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, football shirts, caps, scarves, knitwear, framed prints, and accessories organized into themed sub-brands including Classics, Heritage, 90's Collection, Home Brews, 12th Man, Icons, and Motel. The catalog spans 30+ leagues and 200+ clubs including the Premier League, Championship, Scottish Premiership, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, and national teams. Pricing ranges from £8 to £70 per item with unit-based transactions, free UK delivery over £70, sale discounts up to 75%, and Klarna and Clearpay installment options. New designs drop weekly to drive repeat visits.

The company differentiates through proprietary graphic design and high-quality construction rather than technology development, with notable brand collaborations including a multi-season ART OF x Guinness collection and officially licensed merchandise partnerships with clubs such as Sunderland AFC and Blackburn Rovers, plus a crossover Spider-Man (Marvel) collaboration. The underlying platform is Shopify with Klaviyo-powered email marketing, SMS messaging, and a six-platform social media presence (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Twitter/X, LinkedIn) supported by a content blog called 'Talking the Game.' The business model is purely transactional merchandise sales with no physical retail locations, no disclosed wholesale channel, and no disclosed institutional funding.

The customer base consists of individual football supporters seeking premium, design-forward alternatives to standard club-shop merchandise, with use cases spanning match-day wear, casual fashion, collector items, and gifting. The company is privately held, independently or founder-operated, with no disclosed management team, headcount, revenue figures, or funding history in the available data. Geographic reach is global via direct shipping with confirmed operations in the UK, USA, and Canada.

Name

Art of Football

Legal name

Art of Football Ltd.

Website

https://art-of-football.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Art of Football is a UK-based, fan-led direct-to-consumer e-commerce brand selling officially licensed football-themed apparel and accessories through a Shopify storefront, serving individual football supporters across 30+ leagues with design-led merchandise and brand collaborations such as Guinness and Sunderland AFC.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Football Merchandise & Apparel

NAICS

Sporting Goods Retailers (45911), Sporting Goods, Hobby, Musical Instrument, Book, and Miscellaneous Retailers (459)

SIC

Retail-Apparel & Accessory Stores (5600)

akta.pro primary industry

Fan Apparel & Wearables Retail (Licensed) (CRAMAOAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Soccer/Football Footwear & Apparel Retail (CRAMACAC), Sports Art, Prints & Photography Retail (CRAMAOAG), Sports Collectibles, Fan Gear & Licensed Merchandise Retail (CRAMABAO)

Keywords

• Football merchandise
• Licensed sports apparel
• Fan apparel
• Football fan gear
• Sports fashion

Headquarters

HQ city

Nottingham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Merchandise Sales: One-time transaction sales of physical merchandise including t-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, caps, scarves, prints, and football shirts. Revenue generated through direct consumer purchases with prices ranging from £8 to £70 per item. The company offers product lines across multiple football clubs and leagues, with collaborations and licensed products commanding premium pricing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Art of Football designs, brands, and sells fan-led football apparel and accessories through its own online storefront. The catalog spans graphic and embroidered t-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, drill tops, knitwear, caps, scarves, socks, and framed prints across Premier League, Championship, Scottish Premiership, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, and international teams. New designs drop weekly, with collaboration collections including ART OF x Guinness and officially licensed ranges for clubs such as Sunderland AFC and Blackburn Rovers.

Product overview

Art of Football is a fan-led football merchandise brand offering a diverse portfolio of officially licensed and collaborative clothing and accessories. The core offering spans T-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, football shirts, caps, scarves, knitwear, and framed prints organized into themed sub-brands including Classics, Pickles, Editions/Archive Studies, Heritage, 90's Collection, Home Brews, 12th Man, Icons, and Motel. Notable collaborations include the ART OF x Guinness collection featuring Season 1 and Season 2 editions across multiple apparel types, and team-specific licensed collections for Premier League, Championship, and international football clubs. The company operates primarily through its e-commerce platform selling directly to consumers, with team-specific collections covering clubs like Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool, Nottingham Forest, Sunderland, and over 200 other teams across global leagues.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• T-Shirts Graphic and embroidered t-shirts featuring football-themed artwork, team logos, and iconic football moments. Available in printed classics, embroidered designs, oversized panelled cuts, and lifestyle variants across 30+ leagues.
• Hoodies & Sweatshirts Embroidered and screen-printed hoodies and sweatshirts featuring football club branding, heritage designs, and team-specific graphics, including embroidered classics and panelled sweats.
• Football Shirts Lifestyle football shirts and replica jerseys featuring classic and contemporary club designs, including the ART OF x Guinness Season 1 Shirt and the ART OF Coup de Boule 2006 Football Shirt.
• Drill Tops & Outerwear Long-sleeved embroidered drill tops and weather-appropriate outerwear for football supporters, including the ART OF x Guinness Drill Top.
• Knitwear & Heritage Jumpers Knitted jumpers and heritage-style knitwear featuring club crests and traditional football fan aesthetics, priced up to £65.
• Caps & Hats Embroidered caps, snapbacks, and two-tone hats featuring team branding and club logos, including the ART OF x Leeds United Two Tone Cap.
• Scarves & Accessories Knitted scarves, socks, and other accessories featuring club colors and designs, including Sunderland and Blackburn Rovers licensed ranges.
• Framed Prints & Wall Art Framed prints, blueprints, and wall art featuring iconic football moments, stadium imagery, and club heritage designs, including 'Under The Lights' and Classics framed prints.
• ART OF x Guinness Collection Collaborative collection with Guinness featuring t-shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, drill tops, football shirts, scarves, and caps inspired by football culture and pub atmosphere, with Season 1 and Season 2 editions and products priced £20–£70.
• Button Down Bowling Shirts Bowling shirts featuring team branding, produced as collaboration items for clubs including Leeds United, Everton, and Sunderland.
• Gift Cards Digital and physical gift cards redeemable across the Art of Football product range.
• e-Gift Card Electronic gift card option for digital delivery of Art of Football merchandise credit.
• Prints & Poster Club Subscription or club offering for prints and posters with 3-for-2 deals, covering 194 prints and posters in the catalog.
• Mystery Bags Mystery merchandise bags available in multiple sizes containing surprise Art of Football items.

Named customers5 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• GuinnesscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-season collaboration featuring football shirts, drill tops, embroidered hoodies, panelled sweats, graphic t-shirts, scarves, and caps. The 'ART OF x Guinness' collection is inspired by greatness and pays tribute to football's most iconic moments and legends. Season 1 and Season 2 product lines with tournament edition releases. Products priced from £20-£70.
• Sunderland AFCcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficially licensed collaboration producing Sunderland-themed merchandise including bowling shirts, snapback caps, embroidered hoodies, drill tops, heritage knitwear, printed t-shirts, scarves, socks, and framed prints. 30+ products in the collection. Some items feature 50% off sale pricing.
• Blackburn RoverscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficially licensed collaboration producing Blackburn Rovers merchandise including embroidered classics hoodies, printed t-shirts, heritage collection, 90s oversized panelled tees, panelled sweatshirts, and framed prints. 19+ products available with prices from £12.50-£65.
• Spider-Man (Marvel)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrand collaboration featuring Spider-Man merchandise with 'Brand New Day' theme. Crosses football fandom with superhero culture targeting broader merchandise appeal.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Classic Football Shirts: UK-based retailer specializing in classic, retro, and current football shirts and merchandise across hundreds of clubs. Highly comparable business model (DTC e-commerce, fan-led positioning, broad club licensing, archive/heritage design ethos).
• Toffs: Heritage British football apparel brand offering officially licensed club merchandise, retro shirts, and fan apparel. Closely comparable as a UK indie football merchandise brand with licensed club collections and design-led positioning.
• Score Draw: UK heritage football shirt and merchandise brand offering officially licensed classic and current kits with a vintage aesthetic. Comparable target market (football supporters) and overlapping product lines (shirts, hoodies, retro designs).
• Copa: Dutch football lifestyle and apparel brand producing retro and contemporary football-inspired clothing, footwear, and accessories. Comparable as a design-led football lifestyle brand with strong heritage positioning and multi-league reach.

Broad incumbents

• Pro:Direct Sport: Large UK-based multi-brand sports retailer offering football boots, kit, and apparel. Comparable as a football-focused e-commerce retailer in the UK market, though at significantly larger scale and broader assortment than AOF.
• Admiral Sportswear: Heritage British sportswear brand with a long history of football kit manufacturing and a broader lifestyle apparel line. Comparable as a licensed football apparel brand operating at larger scale and with broader category coverage.
• Kitbag: Major UK-based licensed sports merchandise retailer carrying officially licensed football shirts, training wear, and fan gear from top clubs and brands. Comparable product category and target customer, though operates at much larger scale and broader assortment.

Regional players

• Lovell Soccer: UK-based soccer specialist retailer offering football boots, replica kits, and training equipment across multiple brands. Comparable as a UK football-focused DTC retailer, though skews toward equipment rather than lifestyle apparel.

Others

• Hummel: Danish heritage sportswear brand with a long history in football kit manufacturing and a lifestyle apparel line. Comparable as a heritage football apparel manufacturer, though primarily a kit supplier to clubs rather than a direct fan-merchandise retailer.

Emerging players

• COPA90: Football culture media brand producing editorial content, video, and merchandise targeted at younger football fans. Comparable target demographic and fan-culture positioning, with emerging crossover into branded apparel.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Art_of_Football
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@artof9270
• Facebookfacebook.com/artoffooballLtd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/art-of-football
• Instagraminstagram.com/art_of
• TikToktiktok.com/@art_of_football1

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Art of Football