Best Goalkeeper Gloves For Kids - What To Look For

Best Goalkeeper Gloves For Kids – What To Look For

When you’re looking for the best goalkeeper gloves for kids should you be looking for the same attributes that the pros want in their gloves? The answer is a bit complicated. I’m a big proponent in looking for smaller goalkeeper gloves, but they are made the same way that you’d make a full size goalkeeper glove. What some brands do when making goalkeeper gloves for kids is that they use different materials especially for the palm area. I’m not a fan of that because you’re not allowing the kids to get a sense for what a glove with good grip should feel like. The way that a true glove is supposed to feel on your hand is also something that you’re missing out on.

My main rule when I was choosing the best goalkeeper gloves for kids was making sure that they were gloves that mimicked their full size cousins. At the same time there are elements that you want to prioritize when you’re looking for kids gloves. For example, kids are going to require a glove that provides better finger protection. I’m not saying that all of the best goalkeeper gloves for kids will feature finger spines. For the most part though you do want a thicker glove. If they wear gloves that are too thin it’s going to be harder for them to be able to deal with harder shots. You could argue that they’ll be playing against kids their same age. You just never know though which little kid’s going to develop a strong leg before everyone else.  

Protection Is The First Thing You Want To Look For

I basically already talked about this. Kids are going to require more protection from their goalkeeper gloves than grown adults. Smaller hands attached to weaker arms are naturally going to bend quicker against hard shots. What I typically recommend for kids is a thicker glove. Again it doesn’t necessarily have to be a glove that features finger spines for the added protection. It could be a good idea to add those. I’m not going to say, but I don’t think they are a must. Also, I know that brands like Nike and Adidas claim that their new technology can provide the same level of protection without the glove being any thicker. This is coming from a 30-year-old guy who’s been putting goalkeeper gloves on for 25 years, that’s a lie.  

I don’t really care what they tell you. I’ve worn those thinner gloves, and you can feel the burn of the shot a lot more than you would with thicker options. So when you translate that to kids who are potentially at a higher risk of injury than myself you want to make sure that they are better protected. On that same train of thought I would recommend gloves that feature a strap in the wrist area. That’s going to allow you to strengthen that part of the hand. The strapless gloves work great when new, but the problem is when they start losing up you don’t get the same security in the wrist area. Just to recap, thicker gloves with wrist straps are ideal for kids in my book.    

The Best Goalkeeper Gloves For Kids Need To Have Good Grip

I’ve said this already as well. This is also something that I want to take a deeper dive into. I know that maybe if you’re new to goalkeeping it’s not going to make a lot of sense. Why would you pay 50 dollars for a pair of gloves when you can get a pair for 10 dollars? In this situation it comes down to performance. Think of it like plastic golf clubs versus graphite ones. Also, a foam ball from something that can actually be kicked or thrown. Cheap kiddy gloves usually don’t give you a sense of what it feels like for the glove to help you grip the ball. That could be a problem for kids who are trying to learn how to catch a ball the right way.

A lot of things in goalkeeping require that you get a feel for them. Catching the ball cleanly is certainly one of those things. When you’re wearing gear that actually helps you get that done the learning process can be much smoother. Also, if your kid stays in goalkeeping for a long period the switch up to regular size gloves won’t be a big leap. At the same time they’ll be better equipped to pick their next gloves because they’ll start getting a sense for what they like and how things should feel. You want to make sure that you’re buying gloves that feature latex grip in the palm area that’s at the very least similar to what you can find in adult sized gloves.      

Elite Stars Elite Sport Goalkeeper Soccer Gloves

If you’ve been around the site you know that I like these gloves. You also know that I like Elite sports gloves in general. Although I do want to say I was underwhelmed with the durability of my most recent pair. In any case, these Elite Stars goalkeeper gloves are still the best gloves for kids in my opinion. The only issue is that they are an older model. I’m not sure if certain stores are going to start to phase them out. If that’s the case I do hope that Elite puts out another kid’s model. In any case, the reason why I like these gloves is that they offer all of the different things that I mentioned are important in goalkeeper gloves for kids. 

The fingers do feature spines or the extra finger protection that you’re usually looking for in kids gloves. Also, the wrist area is a part of the glove that I really like. It allows you to keep the hands steady like they need to be. They may not be as easy to put on. That’s certainly something that can be an issue for some. The grip for me though is the biggest upside to these gloves. You’re getting the same materials that are used on the palms of other Elite Gloves. So this means that kids are going to get a sense for what goalkeeper gloves should feel like.   

BU1 Innovative New Classic Goalkeeper Gloves

I came across these gloves recently and I may do a full review of the gloves. It’s a brand that’s not necessarily a staple of the goalkeeper glove market. Yet, at least this particular design can be very useful for kids. It’s a thicker almost videogame like design for a goalkeeper glove. Make sure to pick this classic option. They have a version that has sort of like fabric on the backside that I didn’t love. I love the look of the glove, but it’s going to be a pain in the neck to deal with that type of backhand when the gloves get wet. Other than that, these gloves offer a ton of grip with the completely latex design on the entire glove. You want to make sure that the palm stays wet, and you can even use some GloveGlu for extra help.

What stands out to me about these gloves is the grip that you’re going to be able to get. I also like the fact that they are a thicker glove. It may take some getting used to, particularly for kids with smaller hands. They are going to feel like they are wearing Mickey Mouse’s gloves at first, maybe. That type of design though can provide that extra protection to make sure that they are able to deal with harder shots while lowering that risk of getting hurt. You want to make sure that the gloves fit just right. If not, that can also be a problem for kids! Ultimately though they are a good option all things considered.     

Storelli Gladiator Recruit 3.0 Goalkeeper Gloves

A lot of things that I said about the Elite gloves can apply to these Storelli gloves. You get the extra protection of the finger spines. At the same time the gloves have a palm that resembles what you’d find on the adult size Storelli gloves. I get the sense that this is a brand that hasn’t been able to break into the western market like they would’ve hoped. A part of that though, is that Nike is a bigger player in the western world for goalkeeper gear than it is in Europe. It makes it harder for a lot of these brands that are considerably smaller to compete. At least when  it comes to these gloves though, I feel they’ve done a good job. 

There were some concerning things for me with the rating that these gloves got on Amazon. I went to some of the reviews though, and the issues that people saw had to do with the glove not fitting properly. That’s a sad situation for sure, but a lot of times that’s not necessarily the brand’s fault. Some people may feel that gloves with finger spines in their regular size fit a bit too tight. You may want to take that into account when you order these gloves. You may want to get a size over your regular size. Again, I get the sense that these gloves are a decent option no matter how you look at it.    

Why You Don’t Want To Buy Cheap Options   

I want to make sure that I get this point across. The thing is I understand why parents may gravitate towards cheaper options. You don’t know at times that you’re kid’s going to be in a commitment with goalkeeping long term. So that maybe a 25 dollar price difference can look really steep. At the same time there’s no guarantee that your kid’s not going to outgrow their gloves mid season! I don’t remember this being an issue for me when I was growing up. I would imagine though that it’s something that could happen. Having said all this, I just think that cheap options are selling your kid short on the goalkeeping experience. At the same time you could be putting them at a higher risk of injury. Particularly if they’re around 10 years old. 

When we are talking about 6-year-old kids even if they play against someone who is 7 or whatever for the most part they can make due with cheaper gloves. You’re selling them short on the experience and there is a risk, but it’s not as big as it could be at 10. At 10 some kids have been playing for a while, and you may end up playing 11 or 12-year-olds. The ball speed can pick up drastically from 8 or 9 to the 10 and 11-year-olds. It’s really for me these ages when you really want to make sure you’re giving your kid the tools to stay safe. By 12 or 13 you likely have to move up to an adult glove anyway. So you also want to make that transition much smoother.