Inside the £1-an-hour official football shirt factories — SkimNews
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- Workers at Bowker Garment Factory and Trax Apparel in Cambodia are paid a basic wage of $210–$220 monthly (£158–£166), working six-day weeks in temperatures above 35°C to produce kits for Arsenal, Liverpool, Real Madrid and others.
- Adidas, which supplies eight Premier League clubs, confirmed both factories are primary suppliers subject to its workplace standards, citing annual audits and heat-management measures despite worker accounts of unsafe conditions.
- Employees at both factories described verbal abuse for missed targets, electrical hazards, and production lines turning out 300–700 shirts daily, with one worker stating 'every shirt contains the sweat of Cambodian workers'.
- A BBC investigation found that of a typical £85 shirt, only £8.50 covers fabric, sewing and shipping, while £37.45 goes to retailers and £16.25 to manufacturers, highlighting extreme markup far from factory wages.
- Fans paying up to £95 for official replica shirts expressed frustration over rising costs, contributing to demand for counterfeits, while campaign groups urge clubs to ensure worker respect in supply chains.
Why it matters: The disparity between £1-an-hour wages and £90+ retail prices reveals a supply chain where financial gains are heavily concentrated at retail and brand levels, not with workers who face documented health and safety risks — raising material ethical pressure on clubs and sportswear giants to justify their pricing and sourcing models.
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