Home » Forums

[Carmina Piranha]

i know i sound like a muppet but i just have no idea about this sort of thing and my son goes to high school in 2 weeks so i need to buy them - they're essential kit. baby has been in hospital for over a week and isn't up to me trawling around the shops so i would like to find out what i need to know then buy online.

football boots - they look really narrow and tiny - do i have to buy the size he wears now, or go up a size? he's got wide feet and a high instep, all the ones i've seen look painful!

what sort of sizes do shin pads come in and what would be suitable for a child who wears age 8 clothes? they look like the sort of thing that can be bought second hand off ebay.

sorry for such a daft thread but i've had a look and really can't get my head around it all - lack of sleep!

[shelby161]

Hi there C.P.Although my sons high school said that they had to have these things they were hardly touched!!Do you have something called SportSoccer or Sportsworld near you?They do reasonably priced boots/shinpads and socks,or you can try Freecycle if you dont mind second hand .I always buy them 1 size bigger than they wear as the football socks are quite thick so this allows for a bit of growing room!!Dont suppose he wears a size 5 does he because i have a pair my son grew out of.HTH a bit-good luck with getting some much needed sleep!!

[novagirl]

Seems like all secondary schools say they are essential when tbh, I hardly ever wore my football boots and the shin pads never even came out of my bag!
Buy football boots one size up as the football socks are really thick. Also maybe see if you or your child knows anyone a little older than them and just use their shin pads as it's unlikely thsat tey'll be having gym at the same time! (My brother was a couple of years older than me so we just shared the 'brand new' set.)

[Carmina Piranha]

hi, he's a 3 so i'll buy a 4. the kit list says that everybody must have those items, there are other things on the optional list for cricket etc. but the football boots and shin pads are a must, punishment will be given if kids don't have them.

they don't need special school logo socks so i've bought his sports socks from M&S this week using gift vouchers i got for subbing to sky TV. they're not too thick but even so, i think going up a size is a good idea because his feet are wide etc.

i had an idea, i'll order some from the catalogue to try them on, then buy them cheaper elsewhere

shin pads are cheap on ebay.

[Alikay]

My sons both have wide feet (G fitting) and it's always been difficult getting football boots to fit because like you say, they seem to be very narrow. The brands which seem to be widest in our experience are Adidas or the Nike Total 90 range. They often have the previous season's model or a less popular colour quite reasonably priced in Sports Soccer/World, and JJB are worth a try too.

I've bought shin pads from these shops for just a couple of pounds too. I always set a price limit (probably about £25 whilst they were still in youth sizes) and if the boots they wanted were more, they paid the difference out of pocket money. Sadly the bargains tended to be Umbro or Mitre boots which were always way too narrow, but we did manage to get some heavily reduced ones that fitted well once or twice. Hopefully your lad will like football and get his wear out of them like mine did!

[thriftmonster]

I use JJB and got some Nike ones yesterday reduced to £15 a pair. They have to be restudded for rugby. We have also got shin pads from there cheaply - ds1 has to have them for hockey. They had quite a good selection in the sale of footie boots - better if you can buy the moulded studs - which we can't as they have to be restudded.

[Carmina Piranha]

eeek! what's re-studding all about? i just don't understand

i've got him some nike total 90 ones based on advice given here. they're from ebay, cheap. i think the studs come off.

[sarymclary]

Originally Posted by Carmina Piranha

eeek! what's re-studding all about? i just don't understand

i've got him some nike total 90 ones based on advice given here. they're from ebay, cheap. i think the studs come off.

Hi Carmina P.

This was all news to me too, but as a mother of 4 boys, I have had to learn fast!

For school boots buy only the cheapest possible, because they tend to get very mucky, never cleaned, and eventually lost (lost property doesn't seem to have them until the very end of the school year!) and sometimes they even get pinched by another kid who loses their kit! Label everything very well - permanent marker is cheap and effective. As mentioned before, Sports Soccer/JJB, Ebay or even your local charity shop would be good sources for bargains. Always buy the next size up - this is the rule of thumb for boots, because they tend to be a snug fit, and you need to wear a good sports sock.

Shin pads you can buy in a sports shop, or even Toys R Us, Argos or Woolies. They tend to do kids sizes, as opposed to the adult sizes in sports shops too, which sound like they would be too long for his legs.

As for re-studding. This only tends to be a necessity if your lad gets into the school team, and the referee will check the studs on the boots before the matches of football/rugby kick off. Studs can get damaged or chipped, and in turn harm a player, so removable/replaceable studs are for matches (only metal ones in rugby I believe).

I hope your son gets on well at his new school.

[SUESMITH]

ds has the same sort of feet as your boy - when you go along with him take very thick socks and make sure he has a good walk around in the boots, our ds has been up 2 sizes in his boots. shin pads came from same place. unless he is very sporty buy the cheapest possible. trainers can be a problem as well, off to get all our ds and dd essentials next week after pay day

[Woby_Tide]

the shin pads are there for protection, whilst it's unlikely child on child being able to tackle hard enough to cause damage its useful o get used to them and also the alternative hurts

with boots, as others say, a size above is often the norm but its worth them trying them on to make sure. With a size above you can get away with an extra pair of socks they can then grow into them a bit further. Even now in my thirties I still have bigger boots than normal shoes, I use 3 pairs of socks instead, still more comfy than a size lower with 1 pair of socks

[hilstep2000]

I agree with the above threads. My son's school said they were essential, he only wore them once in Year 7! I didn't buy him anymore. They used their trainers al the time. The pair I did get him tho were Umbro ones, brand new from an ebay shop. £10 compared to £30 in the sports shops.

[davetrousers]

For Goodness sake. What's with all this 'buy one size up' stuff? Take the boy into the sports shop (take his football socks as well) and try on different pairs of boots till you find a pair that fits (with a bit of room to spare if required).

Saying to buy one size up is far too vague for a child's footwear.

[Woby_Tide]

it's a pair of football boots though, not shoes they will wear all day. As long as they find them comfy then it's no big deal whether its the exact size or one above or below

[Carmina Piranha]

the sports shop is upstairs with just an escalator. i can't take the baby's pram up there and having him loose just isn't an option. he's been in hospital for nearly 2 weeks which is why i am so late with getting his stuff. baby is still poorly and is vomiting several times a day so i don't want to take him into a clothes shop. spud needs the stuff soon, it's on the essential list. i doubt that he will wear it even once in year 7 but it's on the list so he has to have it. and no he's not sporty (not football or rugby, he wears trainers when he plays sport), if he does wear these boots it will be for the shortest amount of time possible!

i know the boots may not fit him if i buy without trying but his dad has to work away both weekends so i don't have any childcare. anyone on here offering to have vomiting baby while i take spud to the sports shop please shout out

[SUESMITH]

Originally Posted by Carmina Piranha

the sports shop is upstairs with just an escalator. i can't take the baby's pram up there and having him loose just isn't an option. he's been in hospital for nearly 2 weeks which is why i am so late with getting his stuff. baby is still poorly and is vomiting several times a day so i don't want to take him into a clothes shop. spud needs the stuff soon, it's on the essential list. i doubt that he will wear it even once in year 7 but it's on the list so he has to have it. and no he's not sporty (not football or rugby, he wears trainers when he plays sport), if he does wear these boots it will be for the shortest amount of time possible!

i know the boots may not fit him if i buy without trying but his dad has to work away both weekends so i don't have any childcare. anyone on here offering to have vomiting baby while i take spud to the sports shop please shout out

where do you live? that sounds like one in york, if it is i will happily come and mind baby, vomit doesnt bother me lol, joking apart if you are local pm me and i will try and help, even if its only so you can get sorted - i work in education so have been police vetted

[thriftmonster]

Sorry to cause confusion, but boots have to be restudded for rugby - as rugby and football studs differ - but generally you can only buy football boots. The idea of rugby studs is that they seem to be smaller and flatter - and therefore do less damage in a pile up on the field to someone's head.

What I meant to come across is that we have had some good bargains in JJB.

[Carmina Piranha]

hi, i'm not in yorkshire no but thanks for the offer!

i've ordered off ebay but if they're not right then my mum is coming back from her holiday just in time to take him to the sports shop. i should have sorted this stuff out at the beginning of the holiday i suppose

[SUESMITH]

nah - their feet grow if you do it too soon. my ds will be in yr 11 next year and i will buy as late as i can as i have done since he was 3. we had back to school ads this year before we had bloomin well broken up.

[Savvy_Sue]

I agree with suesmith, no point doing it at the start of the holiday because their feet will only grow.

and if it's any comfort, I've put three boys through secondary school doing rugby one term and footie another, with never a mention of re-studding their boots, which is just as well because we've been buying the cheapest pairs possible which tend to have moulded studs. Not that mine have ever distinguished themselves sufficiently to be considered for a school team, mind you!

[hm71]

ok, i've been reading this thread with interest, little bit of background- boys at high school round here in sunny essex do do footy a lot, its girls that don't really my dd wore her boots once. Ok you shouldn't really buy boots to big as they are designed to provide protection in the right areas, and for some (predators) are designed to help with tecnical passes. As someone whos son has played footy for 13 years and currently runs 2 youth teams, what i have found is, the more pricey doesn't necessarilly mean better, size wise Adidas always come up small, Nike are always a little bigger, Umbro should only be worn if really desperate and you never, ever buy gola or Diadora. The stud issue is moulded studs for dry ground (these are rubber and fixed to the boot) or screw in studs these are for soft ground as they sink into the ground. Shin pads usually come in either age or boy,large boy ,youth. what they must do is adequately cover the shin from just above the ankle to just below the knee. They really should be worn cos a break there is nasty!!!
hope that helps a little bit.