Whilst scrolling through Facebook recently we came across a post that immediately caught our eye, the picture was of a football shirt collector standing in front of an amazing array of football kits from all over the world and also includes many non-league sides from the UK.
We were so intrigued by the collection we messaged Arjan Wijngaard the man in the picture to find out more about him and his many shirts!
Thanks for taking the time to talk to us Arjan, so, where are you from and who do you support?
I'm from Groningen in the Netherlands, and of course I support my local team FC Groningen!
Besides that I also support Feyenoord and in England I support Everton.
Feyenoord FC
In most countries I have a favourite team (but not really supporting them) like Celtic, Werder Bremen and Sporting Portugal who all play in green and white Jerseys!
Welling Town FC
How long have you been collecting football shirts?
I started collecting in 1997.
How many do you have in your collection?
At the moment I have 2,971 shirts in my collection.
Where do you keep your huge collection?
I have a room in my house that is solely dedicated to my collection!
(these 3 photos credited to http://www.philipphoto.nl/ )
What made you start collecting shirts?
Of course I like football, going to home and away games with my favourite team, and watching the Bundesliga and the Premier league highlights on TV.
At that moment I decided to collect shirts, and why shirts? I don't know!
What is your favourite shirt?
In general I like to collect (recent) shirts from smaller teams (non league) or from far away. Its very difficult to point out one specific shirt.
if your talking about colours I like green/white shirts and black shirts the most.
What's the most you have paid for a shirt?
150 euro (125 pounds). It was for a match worn FC Groningen shirt used during a Europa League game in 2015. FC Groningen won the “KNVB-beker” (FA-cup) for the first time, and played in the Europa League (which they don't do often) and this shirt had a sponsor that was used only during those games.
FC Groningen
Which shirt means the most to you?
I have an old FC Groningen shirt form the beginning of ‘80’s period. It is match worn and possibly also during the Europa League game against Atletico Madrid. A shirt that old you don't see often, and specially match worn.
Have you been to a game at each ground the shirts are from?
Unfortunately not, But if I go to a game, I try to obtain a shirt from both teams. It doesn't have to be one from that specific game/season, just a shirt from the team is fine.
Chesham United FC
How many grounds have you visited?
I'm not counting them, but I think its about 200 and if I count the grounds without a game I think its 300-400!
What is your favourite ground?
Very difficult to say, most grounds have their own charm like big grounds such as Goodison Park, Wembley or “De Kuip” in Rotterdam, But also grounds like Prenton Park, Brisbane Road or Selhurst Park are very nice. and of course most non-league grounds are great as well. I like grounds in a residential area, with people living next door, and pubs nearby.
De Kuip, Rotterdam
What shirts are you missing from your collection?
Looking to the fact that I like to obtain a shirt from every team I've seen playing live, I'm still missing a few. they are Hashtag United, Marine AFC, Ilford FC, Witham Town FC and Bracknell Town.
Besides that I like to collect non league shirts in general, so still missing a lot haha.
ST Helens Town
How often do you travel to the UK to watch football?
I try to go 3 or 4 times a year with a preference for London or Liverpool, but I've also been to cities/areas like Birmingham, Wales, Glasgow, Southend.
Gloucester City
What's the furthest you have travelled to a game?
I've seen only games in Europe, and often in a combination with visiting a big city.
I've been as far to Lisbon, Athens, Istanbul, Rome and Seville.
Loja CD
What do you enjoy about non-league football in the UK?
I really like the accessibility of non-league plus the clubs and their supporters are great and also the willingness to help me to get a shirt from their team in my collection.
Windsor FC
Do you collect other memorabilia?
When I go to a game or a ground I often buy a scarf and a pin badge from the home team. I think I have around 300 scarfs and 200 badges!
What would you say is the best era for football kits?
For me its the current period because there is much attention and energy put into producing and making football shirts. Its makes it nice to search for them and with all the social media options it makes it accessible to contact the clubs and their supporters. And also to have contact with other collectors.
Coventry Sphinx FC
How easy is it to tell the difference between an official shirt and a copy?
Its getting more and more difficult, the copies from Asia are getting better and better. Its very difficult to see the difference, that's also one of the reasons why I focus on the smaller teams (non league) as you can be pretty sure that they are original shirts!.
Which country's leagues tend to have the best football kits in your opinion?
For me its the UK, the home shirts are mostly real classics, very easy to recognise with the badge/logo and most are really fantastic.
Everton FC
Which international team kit is your favourite?
I really don't have a favourite, as a collector I like to collect small countries like San Marino, Bhutan or Lichtenstein, as a football fan I have a big preference for league football.
Girona FC
What trips do you have planned in the near future to grow your collection?
And do you think you will ever stop collecting or will you just have to buy a bigger property to store it all in?
No concrete plans as of yet but probably Milan in march and England in April.
No, I don't have any plans to stop collecting as their are many teams still to go!
and there's no plans to move as there is still space in the room with a little bit of re-organising!
How can people contact you to assist you with your collection and to find out more about it?
All my shirts are displayed on www.voetbalshirts.org, and I'm also active on Facebook , X/Twitter or Instagram
and I can be reached by mail on arjan@voetbalshirts.org
Also if there is anyone reading this who could help me with a shirt from their Non-League team they can contact me as well!
Once again, a big thank you to Arjan for sharing an insight into his fantastic collection!
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