A Christmas success story from the founder of Anfield Apparel
When Aidan created his first Liverpool-themed t-shirt, he had no plan to build a business. He simply wanted something he could wear to the match. A design with specific song lyrics. A shirt that felt personal to him as a fan. When he could not find it anywhere online, he decided to create it himself.
“I played around with a few designs and thought this actually looks okay,” he said. “So I used my marketing background to build a website and start promoting the products.”
What he did not expect was that his idea would take off almost immediately.
The timing was perfect. It was just before Christmas, when football fans around the world look for gifts to celebrate the season with club pride. Aidan launched Anfield Apparel at exactly the moment supporters were searching for merchandise that meant something to them. The store went from “nought to a hundred quite quickly,” in his words.
That first Christmas became the beginning of a brand that now sells in more than thirty countries.
A global fanbase, supported by global production
One of the most surprising parts of Aidan’s journey has been how far his designs travel.
“It’s always a surprise when an order comes in from somewhere I’ve never seen before,” he said. “But that’s the beauty of Gelato. I don’t have to worry about where it's coming from because they can fulfill the order no matter what.”
Last Christmas is the perfect example. With the arrival of Dutch manager Arne Slot, supporters in the Netherlands suddenly wanted festive Liverpool merch. And Aidan was ready.
“His Christmas jumpers were selling loads and loads in the Netherlands,” Aidan laughed. “I bet there were a lot of people over there wearing them.”
Global trends. Local printing. Fast delivery during the most intense fulfilment period of the year. It all aligned in a way only print on demand can make possible.
The surreal joy of seeing fans wearing your work
For Aidan, the best part of running Anfield Apparel is not the sales charts or the growth across platforms. It is the moment the digital world turns real.
“At the match I’ll often see dozens of people in my stuff,” he said. “It makes it all feel real.”
One memory stands out. He was in Paris for the Champions League final after one of his biggest sales months ever.
“It felt like half of Paris was wearing my t-shirts,” he said. “I was queuing for the bar and someone next to me was in one of my designs. It was the first time I’d ever seen that design in person.”
Another time, standing outside the stadium, Aidan saw someone in one of his shirts and could not resist saying hello.
“I said, I like your t-shirt. He said thanks. I told him I actually designed it and he almost treated me like a celebrity.”
For a brand built from a single idea, moments like these matter more than anything.
Preparing for the Christmas rush across multiple platforms
Aidan now sells through Shopify, WooCommerce, Etsy and is testing TikTok Shop too. With football fans shopping across different channels, especially during the holidays, being present everywhere gives him a huge advantage.
Etsy becomes an especially valuable discovery engine at Christmas.
“With Etsy people can stumble across a design I wouldn’t have thought of promoting,” he said. “Once it gets a few sales I can use that on the other channels too.”
Bulk product importing through Gelato saves him hours during peak season as he expands Footballers Life.
“If I had to create everything individually, I don’t think I’d have had the time to set up the Etsy stores,” he said. “Bulk importing saved so much time.”
And with the Gelato App, he can track his holiday performance in real time.
“I’m checking it constantly,” he said. “Seeing how many orders have come in today, where they’re from, and using that for my marketing.”
Aidan’s advice for sellers heading into the Christmas season
Four years after launching his first design, Aidan’s message to new creators is simple.
“Just give it a go,” he said. “My first thought was what would I wear going to a match. Put some designs together that you’d buy yourself.”
And most importantly, do not overthink the barriers.
“It doesn’t have to take too long. You can start with something like Etsy which doesn’t have the same setup time or cost as a full website. Just get designs out there and see if they resonate.”
Christmas will always be the biggest opportunity of the year for creators. Fans want gifts that feel fun, seasonal and connected to what they love. Aidan’s story shows what can happen when a single design meets the right timing, the right audience and the right production partner.
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