‘I did have a museum room – but then I got married!’
The man with every single United replica shirt since
WHEN it comes to collecting Newcastle United memorabilia, Gavin Haigh has been there, done that, got the shirt – a few hundred times.
Having acquired scores of historic Magpies jerseys, Gavin is the proud owner of every single iteration of the club’s replica shirts.
As if that wasn’t enough, he has also amassed a few hundred of pieces of kit worn by his United heroes over the years to possess one of the most impressive selection of Magpies mementos you will ever see.
Gavin’s fanatical quest started 44 years ago, when he went to his first ever Newcastle match, a
3-2 win at home to Birmingham City.
“For whatever reason I got it into my head: ‘I want a Newcastle football shirt’,” recalls Gavin, who works in the prison service.
“Stan Seymour’s was the legendary sports shop in Newcastle. I got my mam to take me. From that moment, I made it my objective that every time a shirt came out, I had to get it!”
That objective has been fulfilled. Gavin owns a version of every single replica shirt Newcastle United have issued since 1974.
Home, away, third kit, sponsor variations, shirts with poppies, testimonial shirts – you name it, Gavin, who claims to have about 500 replica shirts, has it.
The aim is to own a version of every shirt Newcastle have played in since the year he was born, 1968.
By the late 1980s, Gavin’s obsession had expanded to matchworn shirts, but pre-internet, and with players traditionally wearing the same shirt all season, it was impossible to put your hands on one.
“I put articles in the programme asking for help – didn’t get anywhere. I wrote to Newcastle and Freddy Fletcher rang me at work. He told me that match-worn shirts were no different from the ones you get in the club shop.”
A breakthrough came via Gavin’s mother, who worked for NEI Electronics, which made the Gallowgate End scoreboard.
“I was invited to go and have a look at it. My mam wrote to Newcastle at the same time and explained how I was a massive fan and it was poor that they weren’t helping me,” he said.
Newcastle’s then commercial manager Grahame McDonnell paid Gavin a visit, saw his replica collection and invited him to a game. “It was vs Oldham, afterwards I met him outside and he gave me a shirt. At the time I thought it was a replica, but it had a No 9 on the back. I’ve since learned it was one the reserves had worn.”
Shortly after, an uncle secured Gavin another one: cult hero Micky Quinn’s No 17 from the 1989/90 season.
“Five years later I entered a competition in Black ‘n’ White magazine to win Robbie Elliott’s shirt that he wore against Nottingham Forest when we beat them 5-0, last game of the season – we went into the Champions League and Sunderland got relegated. I won the shirt.”
Fast forward 25 years and his match
Stan Seymour’s was the legendary shop in Newcastle. I got my mam to take me
Gavin Haigh
worn collection is approaching 250 shirts. “David Kelly’s, Pav [Pavel Srnicek], Shaka Hislop, Kevin Carr’s, quite a few of Shay Given’s, [Jamaal] Lascelles’, three Andy Cole shirts. The green Asics one: I’ve got Beardsley’s and Alan Neilson’s. Ferdinand’s shirt from when we beat Villa 1-0. Darren Peacock’s Centre Parcs one from Monaco away.’
Gavin claims to have never sold or given away a Newcastle shirt. “My Butka tracksuit from 1976, the white one, that fell apart. That’s the closest I’ve come to getting rid of anything. But, ironically, I’m going to get it again for Christmas!”
Today the classic shirt market booms, with shirts regularly selling for hundreds online. “It’s now trendy. I’ve just seen Adidas are bringing out Pharrell Williams football shirts. Something happened overnight. The prices seem like they’ve gone through the roof.”
It hasn’t stopped Gavin buying new ones. His replicas are stored and filed in his loft, his match-worns in a wall cupboard so he can look at them daily, and he has a separate cupboard for general football shirts he likes to wear day-to-day.
“I used to have a little Newcastle museum room but then I got married!”
Every season shirts becoming rarer and prices become steeper.
“There’s a little story to them all,’ says Gavin. “It’s not about the price, to me they are bits of history.”