“What Should We Wear?”
Football doesn’t need to be expensive and there are a few tips to help keep costs down.
SHINPADS
If we can give you one bit of advice as parents of budding footballers: invest in a good pair of shinpads!
They are robust, an easy hand-me-down to your next child, and a decent pair will cost you about £7.
Some kids initially complain about them being uncomfortable, so we suggest either wearing them outside long football socks until the fabric softens; or wear an extra pair of thin socks underneath
If you can, try and get ones with ankle protectors attached (they have little padded plastic discs that sit over the ankle joint). If not, you can pick up the ankle protectors/guards separately; see below:
GLOVES & BASE LAYERS
If your kids are playing outside it’s imperative to keep them warm and dry during this period.
Football on AstroTurf (particularly under the floodlights) is an amazing experience, but nothing will turn your child off outdoor sports quicker than the cold and wet, especially on their fingers.
Gloves and base layers go some way to solving both these problems.
LAYER UP!
Don’t expect your child to train in their big thick coats; they might end up getting too hot and when they take them off, they’ll feel the chill even more.
There’s nothing wrong with arriving in a warm coat, but its best to wear a base layer, t-shirt, and a really warm fleecy top when they train.
If it’s raining, then a thin waterproof mac is a great addition!
OUTDOOR FOOTWEAR
For younger children playing recreationally (up to c8yrs), we advise getting a pair of boots or AstroTurf trainers at some point.
‘Astros’ (TT – see guide) are good on grass and perfect for AstroTurf/3G. They’ll also help with stability and are more water-resistant than usual trainers.
For the older kids (9-15yrs), it is essential to have the correct footwear to minimise injury to themselves and others.
TIP – Boots can be expensive, but some Facebook groups offer second-hand boots/trainers in really good condition!
IMPORTANT!
If your child is playing competitively i.e. for a grassroots team, they must have proper football boots (see below – AG, HG, FG only – not TT boots).
Avoid buying boots with ‘blades’ or metal studs – they can be dangerous and most 3G facilities won’t let you play in them.
Moseley School & Fitness Centre (3G)
Kings Heath Boys School (Astroturf)
Moseley School (3G)
Kings Heath Boys School (Astroturf)
AG
Best Option
NA
AG
Best Option
NA
FG
Best Option
NA
FG
Best Option
NA
HG
Best Option
NA
HG
Best Option
NA
TF
OK to wear
Best option
TF
OK to wear
Best option
INDOOR FOOTWEAR
Normal trainers are absolutely fine here, as long as they are non-marking i.e. don’t have black soles, although to make things extra confusing some specifically indoor trainers do have black soles! If in doubt, ask 🙂
If you do want to invest in a good pair of indoor trainers – and this is more applicable to older kids playing Futsal – then these types of trainers are excellent:
GOALKEEPER GLOVES
Thankfully, the days of water-absorbing gloves which offer no protection against hard shots or studs, are well behind us.
Pretty much all of the gloves you can buy have a spongey material (Latex) on the palm and fingers, so when you clench a fist the water drains off! Clever eh?
The MOST important thing you need to remember – BUY WITH BONES!!
By that we mean, the hard plastic finger protection that reduces the chance of your child’s fingers getting injured from a shot, or from being stamped on with studs!
Don’t go for the ones with just a bit of padding on the back – they might look nice but they will offer zero protection.
Sadly, retailers don’t make it obvious which gloves have finger protection and which ones don’t! So make sure you read the small print, description, reviews, Q&A etc.
Use these terms to search:
‘kids goalkeeping gloves finger protection’
‘kids goalkeeping gloves finger spines’
