Belfast, since 2021

We didn't join this category. We built it.

Mystery sports shirts, done properly. Authentic kits, your filters, our curation, 350,000 shirts shipped to 134 countries, and the category didn't exist before we made it one.

See our open door
Packing a Shirt in a Box order in the Belfast warehouse
130,000+Customers
350,000+Shirts shipped
50Leagues covered
134Countries shipped to

How it all began

The insight was simple. Left to choose, people buy the same three famous shirts, while the interesting stuff, the odd away kits and the forgotten seasons, sits unsold. Take the choice away, give them a filter instead, and suddenly the whole catalogue is in play.

That idea became Shirt in a Box in 2021, growing out of a one-man operation called Rory's Football Shirts. It is now a subscription business with a repeat customer base, its own warehouse and its own customer team.

Authentic football shirts arranged around a Shirt in a Box mailer The original Rory\

Where we are now

We run our own warehouse in Belfast, our own pick-and-pack line and our own customer team, so no third party decides how your box arrives. On top of one-off orders sits a monthly, bi-monthly and quarterly subscription base, which is what turns a good product into a real business.

The UK and Ireland are home, and Ireland alone has taken over 15,000 orders. The United States is scaling fast behind them, Australia is already past 6,000 orders without a dedicated store, and New Zealand is on the same track.

The pick aisle in the Shirt in a Box warehouse in Belfast

As seen on

When your box turns up on a New York sports show, you know the idea travelled.

Ariel Helwani opening a Shirt in a Box on The AH Show.

Ariel Helwani holding a Shirt in a Box mystery shirt box on The AH Show

What we're for

Put a mystery shirt on every back in the world

Our stated ambition is to be the number one mystery sports brand in the world, starting with the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and America. Everything from how we buy stock to how we hire is set against that, not against this quarter.

1MShirts donated by 2037, starting with 250 tops given away in 2026. Every shirt should end up on somebody's back, not in a bin.

Our commandments

How we actually work

Four commandments, set deliberately and used as the real standard for how people here are hired, backed and promoted.

01

Ownership

Own the outcome, good or bad.

Take pride in the work. You get the freedom to run with things yourself, and a team behind you when you need it.

02

Community

You should never dread a Monday.

Celebrate each other's wins and back each other through the rough patches. Get stuck in wherever you're needed, and the customer feels that too.

03

Self improvement

Get better in work and out of it.

One always feeds the other. Build confidence in your own abilities and grow personally while we chase shared goals.

04

Adaptability

This business never stands still.

New challenges, new environments, taken head on. Go beyond your defined role and make your mark across the whole company.

The team

Meet the people who send the shirts

Three departments, operations, growth and creative, running the whole operation out of one Belfast warehouse.

Leadership

Rory McLaughlan, Founder & CEO at Shirt in a Box

Rory McLaughlan

Founder & CEO

Operations and customer support

Conor Walsh, Head of Operations at Shirt in a Box

Conor Walsh

Head of Operations

Ryan, Operations at Shirt in a Box

Ryan

Operations

Rob, Head of Customer Support at Shirt in a Box

Rob

Head of Customer Support

Leona, Customer Support at Shirt in a Box

Leona

Customer Support

Growth

Alix Stewart-Blacker, Head of Ecommerce at Shirt in a Box

Alix Stewart-Blacker

Head of Ecommerce

Dermot McGuckin, Growth & Retention at Shirt in a Box

Dermot McGuckin

Growth & Retention

Ross Freeman, B2B Sales at Shirt in a Box

Ross Freeman

B2B Sales

Creative

Connor Beattie, Lead Ad Creative at Shirt in a Box

Connor Beattie

Lead Ad Creative

Isabella Barros De la Rosa, Creative at Shirt in a Box

Isabella Barros De la Rosa

Creative

Erin Mullan, Head of Organic & Activations at Shirt in a Box

Erin Mullan

Head of Organic & Activations

Careers

We hire ahead of the roles

Tell us which part of this business you'd run, whether that's operations, paid media, creative, retention or sales, and what you've done that proves it. If you're good, we'll make room. That's how most people here got in.

You'd run a function

Small departments, clear numbers, and the authority to change how the work gets done. No layer between you and the decision.

We rebuild systems properly

Nine machines consolidated into one. Hundreds of thousands taken out of held stock. The packing line rebuilt around throughput. Process work is funded here, not squeezed in.

The business doubles

That's the plan, annually, and it's why roles here outgrow their job descriptions inside a year.

What it's actually like, day to day

Nobody counts your hours

Start when you want, finish when you're done. There's no clock, and nobody has ever timed a lunch break. You're judged on what you move, not when you were at your desk.

You'll know what you're measured on

The company runs on objectives that cascade to every department, so your targets are written down and visible. That clarity is exactly what makes the flexibility possible.

We're in the office, together

Belfast, in person, most of the time. Worth saying plainly so nobody applies expecting fully remote. The trade is a room where you can turn round and solve something in ten seconds.

There's a book club

Self improvement is one of the four commandments, and this is the version you can see: we read, and we argue about it. Getting better at the job is part of the job.

How hiring works here

  1. ApplicationSend a CV and a short note on what you'd want to own. Read within the week.
  2. AssessmentA short structured test relevant to the role, so we compare like with like.
  3. InterviewA proper conversation about your track record with the people you'd work alongside.
  4. Practical projectA real piece of the actual job, then a final session where you defend your thinking.

Send us your CV

Tell us the function you'd take on. Every application gets a reply.