Premier League rules on replica kits cover three main points: a club's merchandising policy must set out how often the strip changes and when the next change is due, replica strip must match the registered playing strip, and retailers choose their own selling price.
What the merchandising policy must cover
Here is what the merchandising policy must address.
| Item | What it must cover |
|---|---|
| Market research | How often the strip changes, and the design of those changes |
| Change intervals | When changes are intended, and the date of the next one |
| Swing tickets | The launch date of the replica strip they are attached to |
| The consumer | What the licensing and pricing obligations mean for buyers |
These requirements go beyond manufacturing. The policy also has to deal with information that reaches buyers, so the club's planning on timing, product presentation and consumer-facing obligations sits in one place.
Market research is part of that structure as well. The policy has to allow for research into both the frequency of strip changes and the design of those changes, so timing and design are both built into the club's merchandising approach.
Replica strip has to match the registered playing strip
Any numbers, lettering, badges and logos on replica strip must be the same style, colour and design as those on the players' strip currently registered. That rule keeps the retail version aligned with the registered version for those specific elements.
The scope is precise. It applies to numbers, lettering, badges and logos, so those parts cannot be altered into a separate retail format once the registered playing strip is in place.
Licensing contracts, promoted clubs and the regulator
Every future contract that licenses a manufacturer to produce replica strip for retail sale has to include the standard clauses required by the rules. A club also must not cause, or procure, a licensed manufacturer to do anything that would breach those clauses.
When a club comes up into the league, it must notify any manufacturer licensed to make and distribute its replica strip, and it must ask that manufacturer to pass the substance of the notice to its dealers at once. The point is to move the relevant resale information through the chain without delay.
The club also has a direct duty to the competition regulator. If the Competition and Markets Authority needs information to check compliance with these rules, the club must provide whatever information is needed for that purpose.
Who decides the retail price
Dealers are free to sell, advertise and display replica strip at whatever price they choose. The pricing decision at retail level sits with the dealer, not with a club setting a fixed resale price.
Dealers are also told what to do if they are worried about minimum resale pricing. They should inform the Competition and Markets Authority if they are concerned that a minimum resale price is being imposed.
FAQ
Can Premier League clubs set the price of replica shirts?
No fixed resale price can be imposed on dealers under these rules. Dealers are free to choose the price at which they sell, advertise and display replica strip.
If a dealer is concerned about minimum resale pricing, the route identified by the rules is to raise that concern with the Competition and Markets Authority.
How often do Premier League clubs change their kit?
There is no single league-wide interval in these rules. Each club's merchandising policy has to identify the intended intervals for strip changes and the date of the next intended change.
The same policy also has to allow for market research on both the frequency of changes and the design of those changes.
Must a replica shirt match the one the players wear?
For certain elements, yes. Numbers, lettering, badges and logos on the replica strip must be the same style, colour and design as on the players' strip currently registered.
That requirement is about alignment with the registered playing strip for those listed features, so a separate retail version of them is not permitted.
What has to be on a Premier League replica shirt swing ticket?
The swing ticket has to state the launch date of the replica strip it is attached to. That is one of the matters the club's merchandising policy must provide for.
It puts the launch-date information on the product itself rather than leaving it only in internal planning or trade communication.