England shirt overpriced, says £40k kits collector

England shirt overpriced, says £40k kits collectorJust nowShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleMatt DeanIn GrimsbyBBCCollector Les Motherby says classic kits are often better value than new onesA man who has spent more than £40,000 on football shirts believes the new England kit is overpriced for families.Les Motherby, from East Yorkshire, started his collection of 240 replica and original kits, including England shirts worn by Peter Crouch and Mark Hateley, in the 1990s.An England kit for a child could cost up to £123 and Motherby said: "I'm a grown adult with disposable income. It's very different when you're bringing up a family and all of those kids want kits. I have a lot of empathy."England kit-maker Nike said it regularly reviewed product costs to ensure "we're delivering the best possible performance" while "balancing rising material, manufacturing and logistics costs".A spokesperson added: "We know that any price increase matters to fans, and we never take that lightly."Last month, BBC Sport told how purchasing an England shirt and shorts, with name and number for a child aged between seven and 15, would cost up to £122.98 from the Football Association website.The full infant kit with name and number would cost £64.99.Motherby said replica kits had always been a "premium item"."But the fact that it's always been that way since the 90s would suggest that people keep stumping up the money for them," he added."And I think until people sort of say, 'we're not going to do this', I think the brands would act accordingly."Offside via Getty ImagesMotherby says fans can get "kudos" by wearing older kits, such as the 1986 versionMotherby said in the 1980s replica kits were aimed squarely at children, but had become more popular among adults from the early 90s.Talking about international kits, he said: "In the 90s you could pick up a replica shirt...