Teen kicks loan into weeds

A TEENAGER from Aberdare will be able to fund her university studies with £30,000 she’s made from selling football shirts.

- LUCY JOHN

Eleri Williams, 18, has opened a store in Cardiff and has even made contacts at Premier League clubs.

The idea came in 2023 when Eleri, then 15, decided she wanted to study law at Cardiff University but wasn’t too keen at the prospect of being tied to student loan repayments.

Her business began with a box of football shirts, then two, then more, until eventually she had more than 2,000 shirts filling the spare bedroom.

“I wanted to give myself a head start,” she said. “The goal was to set myself up to leave university without any debt, so my dad suggested looking into the football shirt market.”

Dad Will is an avid collector, boasting an impressive Manchester United shirts collection spanning decades.

Eleri, who lives with her parents in Aberdare, set up Ballers CP and began selling some of Will's unwanted items through eBay.

She realised the demand was huge, and her side hustle developed into a fully-fledged business. She began buying at events and from private sellers.