TEENAGE entrepreneur Will Amis sells vintage football boots to Premier League stars for £500-a-pair and more – yet many can’t wear them because of strict sponsorship rules.
Declan Rice, Ainsley Maitland-Niles and John Terry are just some of 18-year-old’s clients – buying classic, limited and exclusive cleats from his Classix Collection.
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Nostalgic players are willing to pay hefty sums for the footwear that reminds them of their youth, and the boots they wore when they were kids.
And since launching his business in 2018, Will has begun a partnership in South London store Crep Select, and sells some of his collection in Abu Dhabi’s Number 10, as well as on Instagram.
“Business is booming. We sell in Crep Select in Lewisham Shopping Centre, and also have a partnership with the Number 10 store in the Yas Mall in Abu Dhabi,” Amis revealed.
“We sell to footballers in the UAE, as well as Premier League players.
“People out there have a little bit of money about them, so it made sense to launch in the Middle East if I’m selling boots for thousands of pounds.
“I am selling about eight to 10 boots a day, with the average price around £500.”
Mercurials are like gold dust
The most popular boot Will sells is the first ever Mercurials brought out by Nike in 2002.
“At the minute, if I had a boot that I could have unlimited stock of, it would be the (Nike Mercurial Vapor) Superfly 1.
“If I got one, I could sell it within five minutes for £1000. It’s the easiest boot to sell.
“They’re special because they were worn by Ronaldo in 1998 and were the first of the Mercurial line.”
Will previously told SunSport how he got into the business of vintage boot selling, after he began his own collection.
He said: “My dad gave me a pair of his old Predator Precision boots that he found in the wardrobe and I loved playing in them.
“Then for my birthday I got a pair of Power Swerves, then I got another pair, and another pair. I just loved them.
“A year later, my dad and I started collecting boots, like Accelerators.
“After that we started an Instagram page and just posted about boots we collected at the time.
“In 2018 we turned it into Classix Collection and we now sell boots all over the world to professional footballers.”
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Big earner
Last year, Channel 4 featured Will in their documentary ‘How To Get Rich.’
He revealed he sells around £25,000 worth of boots a month to footballers around the globe, with annual profits of around £200,000.
The most expensive pair Amis has ever sold cost a punter £8,000.
And he gets his boots from disused stock from sports shops all over the world, as well as from other collectors.
“We got 22 pairs of the Adidas Predator 94s from a store that was closing down in Turkey, for example,” he explained.
“But they’re coming from all over – they might have some come from other collectors or other boot sellers that put them up at the wrong price, so I’ll buy them before anyone else can.”
However, in general footballers have to wear the boots they’re sponsored to in matches and games, or face a minimal fine.
So, it’s very rare Will gets to see his boots in action on the pitch.
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A lot of players do have that kind of deal, but the fine is pennies for them. And some feel it’s better of playing in the boot they feel comfortable in and paying the fine.
“Most of the players will wear them for training. Declan Rice does at West Ham.
“I’ve seen Maitland-Niles wear his during a match once. It depends on what they feel like doing.”
For his next trick, Will is planning on launching his own football agency.
But for the moment, it’s all about his boots.
“I didn’t bother with school, education wasn’t really for me. This is going so well, touch wood.
“We’re busier than ever, I can’t complain, so long may it continue.”