Should Soccer Jerseys Be Tight?

If you are a hard core soccer fan,  then it is safe to assume that buying the jersey of your favorite soccer team is usually on top of your priorities list.

Some soccer fans literally buy their favorite team’s jersey every single year. Whether you are one of these people, or you’re just a soccer fan who wants to buy a soccer jersey for the first time ever, there are a few questions that may come to your mind right away.

And these questions are: What type of jersey should you buy? And how should a soccer jersey fit? Should it be tight? And so on.

This article is dedicated to answering exactly these questions so stick around to learn more.

Before we discuss how the soccer jerseys should fit, we should first make a distinction between the different types of soccer jerseys available for purchase.

What are the different types of jerseys in soccer?

There are generally 2 types of soccer jerseys that you can buy. 

The first type of jerseys are what is usually known as “Authentic jerseys”. These are the jerseys that are meant to be worn on the field/pitch by the players during a soccer game.

The second type of jerseys are known as “Replica jerseys”. These are the jerseys that are meant to be worn by the fans in the stadiums and on the streets instead of being worn by soccer players during a game.

Some of the key differences between these 2 types of jerseys are the way each of them fits, and the materials and the technologies that each of them contains.

With that out of the way, let’s start by discussing how the jerseys should fit / How tight they should be.

How do soccer jerseys fit?

Authentic soccer jerseys are usually closer to being slim-fit than being skin-fit. In other words, the match jerseys should be tight enough to let the players move better, but not too tight to make sure that the players do not feel uncomfortable.

However, it is worth noting that there are a number of soccer teams that are going for very tight jerseys (skin-fit jerseys).

So it all comes down to what the soccer clubs and the jersey manufactures think is the best option for the players.

So, as a soccer player yourself, if you want to buy a new jersey, you should consider getting one that is somewhere between slim-fit and skin-fit.

In other words, you have a range to pick from when it comes to how tight your soccer jersey should be. This range is based on what we have seen professional soccer players wear over the years.

How tight your jersey should be will depend on your preference and how comfortable you feel when wearing tight clothes.

But in general, slim-fit jerseys are a good option for many soccer players out there.

But what about off-field jerseys (replica jerseys) ?

Are replica soccer jerseys less tight?

Just to reiterate, the replica jerseys are the ones that are meant to be worn by the fans instead of the actual soccer players.

In general, the replica soccer jerseys are less tight than the authentic jerseys. These jerseys are more relaxed and are designed to keep the wearer comfortable as opposed to being designed with the players’ performances in mind.

So, if you are planning to buy a soccer jersey just to wear it when watching soccer games or to wear it on the streets, then a replica jersey that is generally less tight might be a good option for you, especially if you are planning to wear some other clothes under your shirt.

Whatever jersey you decide to get, make sure that you keep the following in mind:

Jerseys might shrink in size after you wash them for the first time depending on the materials used to make the jersey. 

So make sure to always ask the manufacturer if and how much the jersey will shrink after you wash it. This will give you a general idea of how your jersey will fit in the long term.

With that out of the way, I still have to answer one last question before reaching the end of this article.

Are replica jerseys fake?

Since we are already talking about replica jerseys, I thought I should answer this common question before ending the article.

The name “replica” can make some people think that the jersey is a fake version of the “Authentic” jersey. However, this is generally not the case.

Replica jerseys are not necessarily fake. A replica jersey is just a jersey that “replicates” the looks of the jerseys used by your favorite soccer teams, while missing the extra fancy features that you don’t really need as a non soccer player.

In other words, both the Authentic and the Replica soccer jerseys can be licensed products depending on where you are buying them from. 

The only difference between them is that one is tailored towards the needs of a soccer player while the other is tailored towards the needs of a soccer fan.

For example, while having a jersey with “VaporKnit technology” is cool and all, you might not really need that as a soccer fan since this technology, and others, are only meant to improve the performance of a soccer player on the field.

But if you aren’t going to use your jersey to play soccer, then why would you pay for a jersey with technologies that you won’t use at all? That is why “replica” jerseys exist, and they are generally less expensive than the authentic jerseys.

CONCLUSION

An authentic soccer jersey that is used during official soccer games is usually slim-fit and is generally more tight than a replica jersey that is meant to be worn in the stadiums or in the streets.

In general, soccer jerseys are not very tight. However, there are some high profile teams that are getting skin-tight jerseys for their players.

With that said, we have reached the end of the article. If you want to read more, you can check one of these articles: