What Happens To Last Season's Kit When A New One Lands

A new kit launch turns the previous season's shirts into stock that must clear. The process follows a consistent sequence, and prices fall in visible steps rather than drifting downwards.

Why the previous kit cannot simply be sold on

Kit designs are tied to a season and to sponsor arrangements that change with it, so a superseded shirt loses relevance abruptly rather than gradually.

Demand collapses at the moment of launch, since buyers who were waiting switch immediately and buyers who were not have already bought.

Holding the stock costs warehouse space against no realistic recovery in value, which is why clearance begins promptly rather than being delayed.

The first discount is modest

The initial reduction in official channels is small, aimed at buyers who prefer the previous design or want the shirt of a player who has since left.

Sizes at the extremes of the range remain available longest, since the middle of the range clears at any discount.

This is the point at which a buyer indifferent to the design year gets the best combination of price and size availability.

Where deeper discounts appear

Remaining stock moves to outlet channels and general sports retailers, where reductions are substantially larger and the assortment is unpredictable.

By this stage the available sizes are whatever nobody wanted, which is why outlet racks are dominated by the smallest and largest options.

Personalisation is rarely offered on clearance stock, since the printing service is tied to the current-season retail operation.

Why some kit never discounts

Shirts associated with a notable achievement retain demand beyond their season and are frequently withdrawn from sale rather than discounted.

Limited production runs behave similarly, since scarcity rather than currency drives their value and clearance would waste it.

These items reappear on secondary markets at prices above the original, which is the opposite of the normal clearance path.

How to time a purchase

Launch dates are broadly predictable within a season, so a buyer willing to wear the previous design knows roughly when to expect the first reduction.

Waiting for outlet pricing risks the size disappearing entirely, and for common sizes that risk is substantial rather than theoretical.

The reasonable compromise is buying at the first official discount, which captures most of the saving while the size range is still intact.