Teen Entrepreneur Builds Vintage Football Shirt Business
A teenager who began reselling vintage football shirts has generated over £35,000 in profit and now plans to graduate from university without debt.
Eleri Williams, 18, launched an online football shirt resale business from her parents' spare room while completing her GCSEs.
Three years later, she has opened a physical shop in Cardiff and stated that the profits will support her law degree. She described the success of her side business as "completely overwhelming" and "a surreal experience".
According to recent data, many young people are engaging in side hustles to help cover education and living expenses.
In 2023, at age 15, Eleri began selling some of her father's old football shirts to earn extra money.
She did not anticipate that this venture would exceed her expectations and evolve into a business that could help finance her university education.
The young entrepreneur from Aberdare, Rhondda Cynon Taf, initially sold a few vintage shirts and then decided to reinvest her earnings to purchase more shirts.
Eventually, this developed into a business, and she earned £35,000 in profit before opening a shop in one of Cardiff's arcades this week.
"The intention of the business was not to pay for my university. It was for pocket money to fund my typical teenage girl of online shopping and generally being expensive.
"I think my dad just wanted me to take a bit of initiative."
Eleri said her work has allowed her to travel across the UK and meet many fellow shirt sellers with interesting backstories.
She reflected on her first job, saying,
"As first jobs go, it hasn't gone too bad."
She hopes the business will enable her to graduate university debt-free, having always wanted to study law at Cardiff University and now being in a "comfortable position" to do so.
"I've finished my A-levels now and get my results hopefully in September. I know I'm financially in the position to attend the university, academically it's just up to me now."
On average, Welsh students graduate with £40,000 in debt compared to £53,000 in England.
Concerns about student debt have increased following the UK government's decision to freeze the repayment threshold for some English graduates.
The Welsh government has stated it will not adopt this measure and supports a UK government move to cap interest on loans at 6%.
With rising living costs, many students have turned to side hustles for financial support.
A survey of 600 students found that 65% had a side hustle last year, compared to 38% in the 1980s, according to data from wealth provider Aviva.
"My side hustle turned into a successful business and a store - and putting me through university,"Eleri said.
"Obviously that's not going to be the case for everyone, but it's an effective way to fund yourself."
Data from comparison site Finder indicates that the primary motivation for having a side hustle is to cover daily living expenses.
Eleri is working to maintain a balance between managing the Cardiff Royal Arcade shop and her education.
"I'm really lucky and I'm really grateful that I've got such a wonderful support system around me to help me manage all the aspects of my incredibly busy life,"she said.
Her parents assist by "manning the shop" when she has school or exams, and she considers herself "very lucky" for their support.
"I like to do a million things at once and push myself as much as I can. The shop will still be up and running as normal when I start university. Opening hours might have to adapt around university."
Speaking to Radio Wales Breakfast, Eleri explained that her business sources shirts from around the world.
"We get them from a variety of suppliers, but we can also get them locally sourced through people contacting us, or even through your typical resale sites,"she added.
"As long as we think this shirt is suitable and we're happy with it, we're prepared to sell it."
She mentioned a vintage Juventus shirt featuring Italian star Alessandro Del Piero that sold for £150 a few months ago.
Recently, she found a prized item: the Super Furry Animals-sponsored Cardiff City shirt, a significant piece of Welsh football and music history.
"They're very rare to come across,"Eleri said, noting she would not put that shirt up for sale.
However, her favourite shirt is the vibrant blue 2002-03 Manchester United third kit.
Customers can also request the business to source specific vintage football shirts, which they will endeavor to find.
