Coach Ben's Soccer Gear Recommendations
Required Equipment
All players must have the minimum requirement of shin guards, soccer ball, cleats, socks, and a water bottle.
Shinguards
This pair of Adidas shinguards is excellent for 4-12 year-olds, boys or girls! There are different color options if you want something beyond the green.
What I like about them is that they have an ankle guard, which not only helps protect the ankles but also keeps the shinguard in place.
Price: Less than $20
Click on the picture to purchase.
Soccer Balls
These MLS Replica Soccer Balls are a fantastic choice. They are high quality and will last years. They will be your game ball of choice.
Price: Less than $30 each
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Soccer Cleats
Soccer cleats are a critical piece of equipment. You have to make sure they fit correctly and that the kids enjoy wearing them. My kids have been wearing the Adidas F50 line for a few years now and I found that it offers an improvement over the $20-40 range cleats but at only $50.
The cleats are great on turf or grass fields, wet or dry. They have a cutout for the ankle so that shinguards with ankle guards still fit comfortably.
Price: $50
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Soccer Socks
It is important to get actual soccer socks for 2 reasons.
1) they are designed to cover shin guards and remain tight enough that they hold the guard in place.
2) a quality soccer sock will last several seasons, through practices and games
Price: $8-15 per pair depending on color and size
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Water Bottle
Any water bottle will work, but I highly recommend the Gatorade Squeeze version. The valve at the top does a great job of preventing leaks and allows the kids to either squeeze the bottle or suck the straw end to drink from it. On hot days it helps to be able to squirt themselves with a squeeze and in my experience the kids will ask for these water bottles when they see their teammates with them.
Price: $20 for a 2 pack
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Optional Equipment
The equipment above is required, but I highly recommend a soccer bag and Aercase cleat bag as well, you won't regret them!
Backpack
With all of the required equipment from above, you'll need somewhere to store it and an easy way to carry it. I have been using the Adidas Stadium backpacks for years, my Stadium II is 4 years old and still looks like new.
Price: around $50, but usually can be found for closer to $40
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Salt Athletic - Aercase Cleat Bag
We bought this bag for my 12 year old who is extremely stinking after a game, but his stuff smells awful all the time. We tested this bag out and were amazed by the results. After leaving the cleats and shinguards in the bag for a few days and taking a smell, we did not feint and in fact smelt very little odor at all. Do yourself a favor and get this today!
Price: $60 - that you will never regret spending!
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Acceleration Speed Cord Bungee
The Acceleration Speed Cord is a great training tool for young soccer players to train for speed and acceleration. This is a great training exercise in the winter months when it is too cold to go outside. I set this up for my team and have them run suicides forward, backward, and sideways. It greatly increases their speed and agility.
Price: $45
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Resistance Bands
There are countless stretches and activities you can do with resistance bands to strengthen a player's legs and increase their speed.
Price: $20 ($8 Black Friday)
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