Welsh teen turns vintage soccer shirts into debt-free law fund

Eleri Williams turned unwanted football shirts from her father’s collection into a business that now fills a shop in Cardiff’s Royal Arcade and helps bankroll a law degree she hopes to finish debt-free. Starting Ballers CP in 2023 at age 15, Williams began selling shirts on eBay from her parents’ spare room while she was still doing her GCSEs.

What began as a side hustle quickly became a serious resale operation. Williams has earned more than £30,000, with some reports placing her total profit above £35,000, and she has said her original aim was simple: give herself a head start and avoid student loan repayments. The business now holds more than 2,000 shirts and has built inventory worth six figures, a scale that shows how a niche market for vintage sportswear can become a financing model for education.

Williams, who is from Aberdare in Rhondda Cynon Taf, has built Ballers CP around a market shaped by fandom, nostalgia and social media. She has said the boom in vintage shirts reflects the way older kits and rare releases have become status items for collectors and younger buyers alike. Among the stock are high-value pieces such as a PSG x Louis Vuitton 2006/07 away shirt, and the business sources inventory from private sellers, bulk suppliers and several Premier League clubs.

The move from a bedroom operation to a physical shop in Cardiff’s Morgan Quarter marks a major step for a business that still relies heavily on family support. Will and Nicola Williams help with emails and daily administration, work that has become essential as stock, orders and customer demand have expanded. Williams has also said that nothing from GCSE Business Studies prepared her for how fast the venture grew.

Cardiff retail figures have embraced the opening. Marika Jones, the Morgan Quarter centre manager, called Williams an “amazing young entrepreneur.” For Williams, the store is more than a retail win. It is the clearest sign yet that resale economics, when paired with timing and product knowledge, can help a teenager turn a football obsession into a route through university without the burden of debt.