Parent Zone
THE GOALKEEPER GLOVE GUIDE FOR PARENTS
As parents ourselves, we can understand how the intricacies of Goalkeeper Gloves can make your head spin. Why should my child wear this or that type of cut? What benefit do I get from this latex over that one? How can I stop my child's gloves tearing so quickly? Luckily, we're also goalkeepers! So we're here to help.
We've broken down everything you need to know in four easy to digest areas below.
#1 - Making Your Child's Gloves Last
Teaching good glove care practice will set you up for a lifetime and dramatically increase the life of any goalkeeper glove. This is especially important with younger keepers who's technique will have not developed as much as seniors, making them more susceptible to abrasion and tearing early into a gloves lifespan.
How Long Should Our Gloves Last?
The unfortunate truth is that goalie gloves are perishable, the latex palms that give the grip and shock absorption we take for granted are a natural material and will wear and tear over time (in fact it could even tear on day one with an unlucky graze). The average keeper can easily require 5+ pairs a season but with endless variables at play (playing surface, technique, volume of training/matches, level of glove care & prep to name a few) some keepers may easily double or triple that number. On the flip side, some goalkeepers may make it through the season with just two or three pairs - as we say, it really does vary per keeper.
Looking After Your Child's Gloves
One of the biggest mistakes any parent can make is not washing the gloves. We cannot stress enough how important it is that gloves are washed accordingly pre and post game. Here are our three core pillars of glove washing. Without this, your child's gloves will dry out, offer less grip and dramatically increase the risk of tearing.
1. Before using your new gloves for the first time pre-wash them and dry naturally in accordance with the washing instructions on the packaging or our online Glove Care guide. When washing, the water in your sink should turn yellow, indicating you have successfully removed any preservatives within the latex (they are used to ensure the latex remains fresh). If you wish to be sure, a second pre-wash is recommended.
2. During use damp the palms of the gloves with water in order to get the best possible grip and durability from the latex palm.
3. After use, before doing anything ensure you wash them and leave to dry naturally - leaving latex to dry out will make it brittle, affecting durability and grip.
We have an extensive glove care guide that covers much more than this, we highly recommend giving it a full read by hitting the button below.
#2 - Choosing the Right "Cut" for Your Child
What is a Glove Cut?
A "cut" simply refers to the style that the palm and fingers are constructed and stitched in. There are various types with different properties; some may be tighter than others, some may offer a higher latex coverage on the ball while others may offer a more "true" feel plus many more.
What is the Right Cut for my Child?
There is no correct answer to this as it does ultimately come down to personal preference, however we've provided a simplified breakdown of each cut's properties below, along with a link to a more expanded in-depth guide if you require.
| Cut | Attributes |
|---|---|
| Roll Finger | Not too spacious, not too snug, a comfy and more traditional style with good latex coverage |
| Negative | Snug feel, great for skinny hands, tighter that most cuts, will wear on the tips quicker than other cuts |
| Negative Roll | Extremely snug, great for skinny hands, the most "true" fitting cut available, will wear on tips quicker than other cuts |
| Flat Cut | Spacious feel, high latex coverage |
| Hybrid | A hybrid cut does not specifically refer to a type of cut, rather it simply means the cut is a combination of different styles |
| Medius Cut (Hybrid) | Combines negative middle fingers and rolled outer fingers, snug feel in the middle, more spacious on the outside |
| Hyla Cut (Hybrid) | Snug feel, very comfy, stitch-less Roll Finger, pre curved for great ball retention, good latex coverage |
| Total Flare (Hybrid) | Combines flat middle fingers and flared rolled outer fingers, high latex coverage, |
| Ultra Flat (Hybrid) | Snug feel, high latex coverage, combines flat palm with negative stitching (feels like a negative, grips like a flat) |
| Cresco Cut (Hybrid) | A more spacious feeling Roll Finger (but not as loose as a Flat) that is flared out at the tips for higher latex coverage, great for smothering the ball |
Read Full Glove Cut Guide
#3 - A Guide to Different Latex Palms
What is Latex?
Latex is the material used on the palm of a glove, it is what provides us with two key features; shock absorption and grip. As discussed in our Glove Care guide, it is a soft natural material that will wear away over time however all our gloves will perform and grip until there is physically no latex left.
There are so many types, how do I choose?
Much like Glove Cuts, there is no right or wrong answer here, more a case of preference and circumstances. We have broken down and rated our latex into three easy categories; Dry Weather, Wet Weather and Durability. An example of our star ratings can be found below and viewed in full over at our Goalkeeper Glove Latex Guide.
Dry Weather: 
Wet Weather: 
Durability:
Why would I choose a lower rated latex?
There are a few reasons which you might opt for this, with some applying to all keepers, not just the younger.
1) Keepers will sometimes opt for a lower rated (and therefore cheaper) latex for training, saving the higher grade gloves for match-day
2) Younger keepers that are still developing will inevitably go through gloves quicker than a senior keeper, due to their technique and experience not having matured yet. It may be worth opting for a lower rated latex until they are ready to jump up to something pro grade like "Contact" latex.
3) No latex is "bad", even though a latex like "Supersoft" has 3 star ratings, it still provides decent grip and shock absorption. For a full breakdown of individual latex ratings, we highly recommend checkout out the full guide through the button below.
Read Full Latex Guide
#4 - Choosing the Right Size
Although our gloves are pretty true to size, different styles and designs can come up slightly differently. As a general rule of thumb you can use the below suggestions, however as this is based on averages we highly recommend checking the dedicated measurement guide by hitting the button a bit further down this page. It will teach you how to measure your child's glove size, we have the measurements for sizes 5-11, as well as individual measurements for our various size 2-4 gloves.
| Glove Size by Age/Type | ||
|---|---|---|
| Size | Type | Age |
| 2 | Small Child | 5 Years |
| 3 | Small Child | 6 Years |
| 4 | Small Child | 7-8 Years |
| 5 | Medium Child | 9 Years |
| 6 - 7 | Large Child | 9-12 Years |
| 7.5 - 8 | Junior/Small Adult | 13+ Years |
| 8.5 - 9 | Medium Adult | Senior |
| 9.5 - 10 | Large Adult | Senior |
| 10.5 - 11 | Extra Large Adult | Senior |
Read Full Size Guide