Best Youth Soccer gear
Soccer is starting in our town this week. All of our kids are playing this fall and the practice times, game locations, and uniforms can be overwhelming. Here’s links to all the the best youth soccer gear to have your player ready and save you time!
The Gear
Soccer Cleats: Cleats should have a sung fit. These are perfect for your first time soccer player and offer preschool sizing down to a 10. These cleats for girls are a great for a rec/ weekend soccer. My son has these and loves the slip on style. They have stayed on during longer practices for his club team.
Soccer Socks: These Adidas socks offer a wide range of sizes and colors. They are little thinner/ easier to put on than some other brands we have tried. If you have a preschooler or young child with small feet it can be a little trickier to find ones that are small enough . These from Amazon are not as thick as regular soccer socks but go on easily and are great for the tiniest soccer stars!
Shin Guards: Unless your team/ club specifies, these slip in shin guards are so much easier than the ones with the foot/ankle strap.
Shorts/Uniform: Your league will likely issue at least a jersey. If not we have been loving the Dick’s Sporting Good (DSG) brand lately. These Shorts and these tops for boys and girls are a great price point.
Ball: Check with your league about which size ball your child will need. Preschool and young children usually use size 3, most elementary school kids use size 4, and older kids generally use size 5.
Water bottle: Really any water bottle will do. The soccer crew in our town love these gatorade Jugs for long, hot tournament days.
Other Tips and Gear:
I don’t know why so many soccer uniforms use white shorts. Sadly it’s a trend that doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. The right undergarments under white uniforms will help your player feel confident on the pitch and not worry about any designs or colors showing through.
Whether you have a team specific soccer backpack or a regular tote or sport bag I like to have the kids dedicate one bag to fall soccer. We leave the soccer bags in our mudroom (aka a closet without a door in the back hallway). The shin guards and ball live there for the season. We also keep sunscreen, extra hair ties, practice pennies, and anything else they need. After practice clothes or uniforms are washed we put it all right back in the soccer bag so there are no uniform search induced melt downs on Saturday mornings. We have completely stopped taking uniforms upstairs to the kid’s rooms with their other clothes and it has been the solution to frantic uniform searches at our house.
Club Soccer Gear
If your child is playing club soccer there are some other items than the basic youth soccer gear listed above. The registration and uniform ordering period are usually months in advance. Order immediately after your child’s spot on a team is secured. We ordered in May for the start of the fall season (and it arrived 2 days before the season started). When ordering these club kits consider ordering a second practice uniform. It was all so expensive up front that I didn’t do this our first year. I regretted it when I was washing uniforms every night for months of 3 day/ week practices. A club hoodie or jacket is also a must. It’s hard to think about in while ordering in May or June but in October and early spring games it’s an essential. It is also nice to have a team shirt for other team gear for Mom or Dad to wear to the games. Be sure to check out the post on healthy sports snacks for kids to fuel your athlete during those long tournament days.
Once we have everything we need for the kids don’t forget to pack your own Sports mom bag for your next weekend tournament.