Cleats, Helmets, & Gloves? Personal Football Equipment You Actually Need

 For a new player, getting into the world of football can be a daunting task, and one of the biggest hurdles you’ll face early on is the startup cost. You’ll need equipment to practice and play in, but with so many options and so much you could buy…where do you begin?

Some might say you can’t get started without a whole kit: cleats, gloves, pads, jerseys—the whole nine yards—but that just isn’t the case. Getting started in football is as easy as grabbing a ball and playing a game. 

When it comes to playing in certain environments, though, there are a few items you will want to add to your shopping cart, all of them depending on what you (or your athlete) are trying to accomplish. 

Let’s see what you’ll need for each playing environment—hopefully it’ll help you build up your shopping list the right way, without breaking the bank:

Equipment for Backyard Players

This one’s pretty intuitive. If you’re enjoying casual (and safe) games in the backyard, grab the cheapest ball you can from your local sporting goods store, slap on some tennis shoes, and get to playin’! Maybe pick up a Tide Pen while you’re at it.

The only caveat here is that safety is king: you cannot play full-tackle competitive football with this sort of gear. There are far too many instances of kids suffering major injuries by taking it a little too far in the backyard for the sake of a casual game. Don’t become part of those statistics.

If you really want to practice tackle games at home, make sure everyone has the following:

• Cleats
• Pads
• Jerseys/Large Shirts
• Helmets

That way, you’re minimizing the risk of something unfortunate happening while you’re out there trying to have fun. If you don’t want to invest in that kit for your own play, that’s totally fine, just stick to two-hand touch, flag football, or any other style of game that won’t have you knocking your head around too hard or too often.

And if nothing else: as long as you’re staying safe and having fun, keep doing what you’re doing.

Equipment for Training Sessions

If you’re already in a league or are looking to get some of the basics down before you join one, training sessions like the ones we offer are a great way to get up to speed or keep yourself in top shape. 

For most of our outdoor sessions, like Group or 1 on 1 Training, we only require the basics:

• Cleats
• Comfortable Activewear

During those sessions, our drills center around building speed and strength through techniques that will translate to the field without requiring full-contact tackles, which is why we don’t require you to bring helmets, pads, and so on. 

If you’re looking to do Strength Training sessions instead, the list is even simpler:

• Good Tennis Shoes (suitable for the weight room)
• Comfortable Activewear

No need for any fancy weightlifting gear or anything like that—just come in your normal gym attire and get ready to work.

Equipment for League/School Games

As you might already know, schools and leagues often facilitate equipment purchases for their teams. That way, you’ll be able to get the standard kit that your team will be donning on game day, which often includes:

• Socks
• Pads
• Helmets
• Jerseys
• Mouth Guard 

And maybe a few extra items like cleats or gloves, depending on the team. In many cases, though, you’ll need to cover some of the basics, often including:

• Cleats
• Practice Helmets
• Gloves

 For any items you’ll be getting independently, teams often have ‘preferred’ equipment that they’ll recommend, along with a few requirements. Most of the time, those recommended equipment lists are just fine, and we’d always encourage you to get whatever equipment your coaches recommend for your environment, or whatever the rest of your team is working with.

And no matter what you got or don’t got, remember this: good gear can let you perform, and bad gear can hold you back. But if you wanna really play a better game, skip the shopping trip. You’re probably better off hitting the field and getting to work.