About us

Most football shirts are worn for a season. We'd rather they weren't.

Off The Bench started, quite simply, because buying football shirts had become expensive. Finding authentic older ones had become even harder.

Like many collectors, we started by buying shirts for ourselves. Before long, learning how to spot authentic pieces, understand different manufacturers, namesets and production years became just as interesting as collecting them.

That hobby slowly turned into a small online business in France. For two years, we sourced shirts and sent them to collectors across Europe.

It was great.

But after a while, we realised that something was missing.

Football shirts aren't just things you buy online. They're things you pick up, turn around, look at twice, point at and start conversations about. Some remind you of a goal, a player, a season, or simply a moment in your life.

We missed that part.

Having previously lived in Finland, moving back felt like the right decision. So, in November 2025, Off The Bench opened its doors in Helsinki.

Today, we still spend our days doing what started all of this: searching for authentic football shirts and making sure they find a new home.

Some will complete a collection.

Some will bring back a memory.

Some will simply become someone's favourite shirt again.

We're happy with any of those.