Must Have Gear for the Serious Young Soccer Player

I admit I'm not a pro when it comes to soccer. When my children were growing up, soccer was not played in our area. But now it seems to be as popular a sport as baseball, basketball, and football. Therefore, when I decided to write this article on the must have gear for serious young soccer players, I went to people who know a lot more about it than I do. I went to my grandson and son-in-law.

My grandson has been playing soccer for several years. He enjoys it very much. And he takes the game very seriously. His Dad has coached soccer and plays in an adult league. I don't think I could find a better source than these two to give me advice and their opinion on the best soccer gear. Of course, this is their opinion and everyone may not agree with them, although I certainly don't know why not.

The first item we will discuss are soccer balls. Addidas seems to be the ball of choice. Why? Well, it is the official ball of the World Cup. That alone gives the brand a major boost. And no, you want have to pay an arm and a leg for one of these balls. Costs for the Addidas balls run from twenty dollars and up. You can even get the ball in the colors of most countries that play in the World Cup or in the classic white and black.

Nike came in first in the soccer shoes or cleats category. Nike's advanced technology in the making of soccer cleats was listed as the number one reason it came in ahead of the others. Nike has a fairly new cleat out that is actually designed to help you spin and turn faster. This cleat, called a Total90 Laser III FG comes in a bright green with black and a small amount of red. The cleat's cost is around one hundred and sixty dollars. That may seem pretty expensive to you, especially if you're looking for cleats for children. No need to worry. You can get excellent cleats starting at around forty dollars and going up to eighty.

The Nike soccer shoes come in different styles and colors. Choose your favorite from bright yellow to the basic black. The shoes also come in different types for the various playing grounds. You can get firm ground, turf, hard ground, and indoor shoes. Yes, indoor shoes. Soccer has become so popular, many areas now offer indoor arenas so that soccer can be played year round.

The third item that you will need in order to play soccer is a good shinguard. My grandson let me know right away that his favorite was the Nike Total Ninety shinguards. His reason for this choice was the fact that this shinguard has a sleeve in which to place the hard shell protector. This enables him to remove the shell after a game without having to take off his shoes. The shinguards also have foam padding to help protect the ankles. These shinguards cost approximately twenty five dollars. Not a lot to spend to protect those shins and ankles, is it?

So these are the choices my two "experts" gave me for the must have gear for soccer playing. Their opinions and the reasons for their choices made excellent sense to me. Therefore, I would have no qualms about recommending any of the products my two soccer guys picked as the best soccer gear.

Is it game time yet?

My sources are: my grandson, my son-in-law, and the World Soccer Shop.com.