“What Should We Wear?”
Football needn't be expensive, and there are a few tips you can use to help keep costs down
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General Clothing
We receive so many questions from parents asking what clothing their child should wear, and our view is – don’t waste your money unnecessarily!
Generally speaking:
Shorts + t-shirt + shinpads = done 🙂
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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 £10.
TIP 1 – 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.
TIP 2 – 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:
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.
All of these session are OUTDOORS...
Monday 6pm @ Moseley School (Kings Heath Sports FC)
Monday 6pm & 7pm @ Kings Heath Boys School (Kings Heath Sports FC)
Thursday 6pm & 7pm @ Kings Heath Boys School
Saturday 9am & 10am (all sessions with the exception of ‘beginners indoor‘) @ Moseley School
Moseley School & Fitness Centre (3G)
Best Option – Artifical Ground, Firm Ground, Hard Ground
OK to wear – Turf Trainer
Kings Heath Boys School (Astroturf)
Unsuitable – Artifical Ground, Firm Ground, Hard Ground
Perfect – Turf Trainer
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 then these types of trainers (below) are excellent.
IMPORTANT – Do not wear astroturf trainers indoors! They can mark the floor but most importatnly, they offer MUCH Less grip than indoor trainers.
All of these session are INDOORS...
Wednesday 5pm @ Moseley School
Wednesday 6pm @ Moseley School
Wednesday 7pm @ Moseley School
Wednesday 5pm @ St Thomas Aquinas School
Wednesday 6pm @ St Thomas Aquinas School
Wednesday 7pm @ St Thomas Aquinas School
Friday 5pm @ Moseley School
Friday 6pm @ Moseley School
Saturday 10am (4/5 yrs) @ Moseley School
Goalkeeping 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?
There are broadly two type of gloves – with finger protection (aka ‘finger safe gloves’) and without finger protection.
This is a hotly contested topic amongst grassroots…
We’d recommend buying gloves without finger protection but it’s important you make your own decisions.
Pros
- Provides some protection for fingers from being stood on (with studs for example)
Cons
- Goalkeepers can’t make a ‘fist’ to punch the ball, which increases the chances of breaking digits when the ball bounces on the end of fingers
- Goalkeepers become used to the finger safe protection doing the work for them – and not developing the strength/responsiveness in the fingers
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.
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!
Have a question about clothing?
Add your details to the form and we’ll call you 🙂
