Keeper Equipment

Goalkeeping is much more expensive than playing in the field. It costs money to be a keeper, because your "equipment" is different than for any of the field players. Plus, you almost never get to wear the team jersey or shorts that were given to the team. Exactly what you use will eventually become a personal preference, but there are some guidelines that will help you avoid (some of) the beginning mistakes that the rest of us goalkeepers have made.

Gloves

There is no requirement that goalkeepers wear gloves, but most do. Gloves are intended to protect your hands as well as to give you a better grip on the ball. Gloves range in price from $10 (which are, essentially, worthless) to over $150 (which is way too much).  Budget, level of play, season, fashion, and personal preference all factor into selecting gloves. The most expensive gloves are no substitute for proper catching technique, however. A good goalkeeper will be able to perform well without any gloves at all; gloves merely add a measure of safety and comfort.

Glove fingers are meant to be up to an inch longer than your actual finger length. If your fingertips "bottom out" in the glove, go to a larger glover. Once in the glove with the wrists secured, the hand should not float around inside the glove. Don't buy gloves that are too big, hoping to grow into them. They won't last that long.

"Real" keepers don't select gloves based on color, fashion, or brand. They don't select gloves based on cost or what's on sale. And, they don't select gloves based on what the store has in stock in their size. The two main characteristics affecting your choice should be grip and durability, with comfort running a close third.

The cheapest gloves are constructed from strips of thin, hard rubber or foam sewn into the glove fingers and palms. Good gloves have a latex foam surface over all of the palm and finger areas. There are many different types of foams used, and it is unlikely that you will see any real value in some of the specialized foams until you are playing at a really high level. There is no substitute for having someone toss you a few balls in the soccer shop to find out which gloves "stop" the ball and which "slip" the ball. Stay away from gloves with sticky foam unless you want to be buying another pair of gloves soon. Smooth foam grips better than dimpled foam.

Unfortunately, the best gloves last the least amount of time: grip and durability are related in some kind of an inverse way. Eventually, the foam wears off the fingertips and pressure points on the palm. That's normal. Gloves that never wear out also won't stick to the soccer ball. Great grip sometimes comes at the expense of durability.

Thick foam is used by some manufacturers to provide good grip and increase glove life. The thick foam also takes the "sting" out of a hard shot. Just remember that you have to be able to close your hand into a fist (to punch the ball away), so too thick foam isn't necessarily a good thing.

The closure system on the wrist should give you a securely-fitting system. Look for lots of Velcro and a generous flap. You have to be able to get your hands into and out of the gloves by yourself, so highly-elastic wrists aren't desirable. Try putting both gloves on and taken them off in the soccer store. If you can't do it there, you won't be able to do it on the field.

A lot of other features are, basically, gimmicks. These generally won't hurt your game Vents and breathable materials to prevent sweaty hands. Finger spines. Special foams. Uniquely sewn seams or sculptured fingers. .

Glove Use and Care

The best thing you can do to make your gloves last longer is to use proper catching technique. Don't use the gloves to cushion your fall. Rather, catch the ball in the air and use it (the ball) to cushion the fall. It is not proper goalkeeping technique to slap the ball away and then fall on your hands. Fall on your knees is also a no-no, but that's another story.

Wash your gloves after every use to remove dirt and grime from the latex. You can hand wash them in mild dish soap, rinsing them thoroughly with clean water. (I have gotten in the habit of taking the gloves into the shower with me after each game. I wash my hair, then I wash my gloves.) Drip and air dry the gloves. Don't put them in the sun, in a drier, or in front of anything really hot. When thoroughly dry, store the gloves in a plastic bag (just as good as a glove bag) in your soccer bag. The plastic bag will keep the gloves from picking up dirt before the next game. 

Most latex foam gloves grip better if slightly dampened before use. That's why you often see goalkeepers spitting on their gloves. If you're not a spitter, you can use the bottle of drinking water you have in the goal.

Never put anything sticky on the gloves. Pine pitch might be fine in team handball, but it's not done in soccer.

Nevertheless, it won't be too long before you know you're going to need another pair of gloves, soon. Perfect. Now, you can use the new pair for games, and you can use the old pair for practices. Pretty soon, you'll have three pair, and you'll be a "glove pro!"

Jerseys

Most goalkeepers carry two or more jerseys of different colors and materials. Keepers must be distinguishable from field players on both teams and from the referees. That means being able to go into your bag and select something that doesn't match anyone. But, other than the colors, there are no requirements or standards as to goalkeeper jersey features.

Most young keepers start out with a jersey with long sleeves and elbow padding. After you learn to dive properly, the padding and long sleeves become less important. (But, it all depends on the field on which you'll be diving!) If you're looking for your first jersey, that's what you want: long sleeves. You may not be able to find a jersey with padded elbows in small youth sizes. Oh, well.

Some materials are better in the summer, and others are better in the winter. A keeper can freeze "back there" in an uneventful game if the jersey isn't warm enough. On the other hand, wearing a winter jersey in a hot summer game is something that you have to try only once.  It's part of the goalkeeper's job to select the best jersey for the game, and that includes evaluating the opponents, the field, and the weather.

Like gloves, jerseys have their gimmicks. Sticky little rubberized dots anywhere on the jersey represent the manifestation of a gimmick. Who catches anything with his/her rubberized arms or chest?

Shorts

A properly-executed dive lands you on your hips. So, it's nice to have some padding on your hips to protect you on dives. This padding can be built into your goalkeeping shorts, or you can wear padded compression shorts. Special shorts aren't really necessarily, although some keepers prefer them, particularly when the pants match the jersey.

Skidz/F&Gs

There's always the problem of getting scratched and scraped up ("strawberries" - ouch) on the hips when your shorts ride up during a dive. Compression shorts (also known as sliding short, bicycling shorts, etc.) will go a long way to prevent this. Special goalkeeper compression shorts, known as Skidz or F&Gs ("field and goalkeepers") have built-in pads in addition to the skin-tight compression. It's a bit of an overkill to have padded shorts and padded compression shorts, but if you play better that way, give it a try.

According to the laws of the game, compression shorts should be the same color as the shorts you are wearing. I always wear black shorts, and that law is easy to satisfy.

Long Diving Pants

Full pants are useful if the goal area has no grass or lots of rocks, or if the weather is cold or damp. If it is raining, you don't want to be slogging around in a pair of waterlogged heavy pants.

Boots

Traction. Traction and lots of it. Keepers need to have "aggressive" boots in order to get the "bite" needed for long, flying dives. Since keepers often "live" in an area that is denuded of grass, boots with 5-7 long, round studs will give good grip in the mud without becoming clogged. But, by the time you get to the point of maximizing your performance through boot selection, you'll know what you're doing.

Shinguards

Unlike strikers who favor almost-invisible, lightweight shinguards, goalkeepers know that their shins do a lot of blocking (of the ball and opponents' legs) and take a lot of punishment. A pair of wrap-around, shell-type shinguards that protects most of the shin is essential.

Hats

I love to wear a hat in the goal to keep the sun out of my eyes, particularly near the end of the day. Referees will permit you to wear any soft-brimmed cap. The bill should not be rigid, and it should not be too long (because long bills block your view of steeply-descending balls. The standard bicycle racing cap is ideal. The bill is short, the bill can be flipped out of the way, and it's elasticized to stay on your head. Plus, bicycle racing caps come in cool colors and designs.

Other Protection

Helmets of any variety are not permitted. We could argue about whether they should be till the cows come home. But, they're not permitted.

Knee pads and elbow pads. Never. They are specifically disallowed in some leagues. The "stock" referee argument is that they can be dangerous to someone on the field. The truth is, that goalkeepers who use proper technique do not fall on their knees or elbows.

Prescription glasses may be worn, but eye protection (safety glasses, goggles, facemasks, etc.) are not permitted.

Goalkeepers need to be able to bark intelligible commands at their defensive players. This essentially precludes the use of mouth guards.