To be a goalkeeper you could probably get away with a pair of gloves and shin-pads along with your teams goalkeeping jersey. If you really want to give yourself the best chance of success though, you need to ensure you kit yourself out with the best equipment you can afford. Spending £££ on equipment will not necessarily make you a better keeper, so it is a balancing act.
Gloves
Gloves are the most important piece of equipment for a goalkeeper. Gloves come in all shapes and sizes so making sure you pick the right type of gloves is key. Points to consider are:
- The surface you are playing on – Grass, artificial pitch?
- The current weather and time of the year – Is it hot and dry or cold and wet?
- Your experience and age – young or inexperienced goalkeepers may benefit from finger save gloves as these offer protection to fingers.
- Sizing – carefully measure and always try on gloves before you commit to a purchase. Remember that sizes do differ by brand so a size 8 in Adidas may come up smaller than a size 8 Precision.
I would recommend trying out different brands and cuts until you find one or two that you really enjoy.
Base and Padded Layers
Being a goalkeeper in cold temperatures is not fun, apart from being cold it can easily effect your concentration at the worst time. Invest in base layers, you can pick these up cheap at SportsDirect, Decathlon or similar high street shops. As a goalkeeper I would highly recommend buying goalkeeping specific base layers. These are often padded so offer increased protection when your diving around.
Shin-Pads
It might be strange but ensuring you have a good quality pair of shin-pads that you feel comfortable wearing will give you confidence when going into making a save. Shin-pads that offer additional ankle protection are a good choice. Your shin-pads should protect you without you even knowing your wearing them. Constantly having to adjust shin-pads is a distraction a goalkeeper can ill afford.
Boots
Generally speaking your boots need to be comfortable and suitable for the surface your playing on.
Balls
Its all too easy to go to the shops and buy a couple of footballs for £5 each. Think SportsDirect near the entrance! Using the correct football size for your age group will greatly help you get comfortable with ball handling. The following are the FA football size recommendations:
- Size 2 – 4 and 5 years old
- Size 3 – Under 7, 8 and 9 Age Groups.
- Size 4 – Under 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14 Age Groups.
- Size 5 – Under 14 to Adults.
