From coaching to training to cheering on your favorite athlete, here’s all my favorite soccer gear (and why it works!) Products I recommend are affiliate links, which help me support the site with no additional cost to you. Have other soccer gear you like? Let me know your favorites!
Jump to: Chairs – Wagons – Shelter and Shade – Weather-Ready Gear – Coaching – Training
Chairs
You won’t see a soccer sideline without a GCI Rocker, and there’s a good reason why: they’re a solid, comfortable chair that everyone loves. There’s a couple versions but this one is my wife’s favorite; she’s used it for over three years with no issues.
Our other family option is the Ever Advanced Medium Tall Directors Chair. We’re tall-ish people (especially my dad, who’s a big 6’5″ guy) and this chair both provides more legroom bring higher off the ground and is a solid platform to push on while standing back up.
Wagons
We carried our chairs from the car to the far away field exactly once before realizing we needed a wagon like everyone else. Ours is similar to this; plain-Jane, gets the job done, carries the water, chairs, blankets, snacks, whatever.
The only thing I wished I could change about our wagon was to have wider wheels that worked at the beach. If you plan on using yours for beach trips or want to haul more items, something like this might be a worthwhile upgrade.
Want to be the envy of the other soccer parents? Roll up to the sidelines with this bad boy. This all-in-one solution will have you watching games in cool comfort.
Shelter and Shade
We have two of these umbrellas, and they’re solid, reliable, and fairly wind resistant. I especially like the carrying bag with shoulder strap that I can throw on my back and keep my hands free to carry other items.
Between us and the in-laws, we’ve gone through plenty of pop-up canopies over the years. This is our current workhorse for sideline shade and cover from the rain; it’s easy to use and solid construction that should last you a while.
If we didn’t already have a pop-up canopy, I’d go for this. It’s multi-purpose, good for the kids who want to play on the ground behind your chairs, and also beach-ready if that’s your thing.
Weather-Ready Gear
Heated vests and jackets have exploded in popularity in the last few years, and for good reason. They’ll give you that extra boost of warmth right when you need it, giving you control over how warm you want to be.
It might sound silly at first, but snow pants are a game changer for sideline warmth. They cut the wind and are way more effective than blankets alone.
This one might look extreme, but if you’re a person who really doesn’t like to be cold, a hooded weather-resistant blanket might be the way to go. It’s especially handy if you’ll also be with little kids who want to snuggle and be cozy with you.
I have long arms and my fingers are the first thing to get cold, so having decent gloves is a must for me. Fleece-lined gloves like these give you cold and wind protection without being overly cumbersome.
Hopefully you’re not watching soccer games in the Arctic, but I’ve been on plenty of wind-swept fields where I wished I had my heated gloves. These can be a welcomed boost when it feels like you need extra warmth.
Same story with my toes as my fingers: they get cold quick. My heated socks definitely provide an extra kick (ha!) of warmth when I need it, especially if I need to wear lighter shoes.
Coaching
Soccer practices and games don’t get cancelled for rain. I have this quick rain shell jacket and like it a lot; it’s light enough to toss into your bag, keeps you dry and breaks the wind, and dries out fairly quickly.
If you’re actively kicking, passing, and shooting with your team, having the right shoes makes an instant impact. I can’t tell you how many pairs of regular tennis shoes I wore holes in before switching to these, and it was well worth picking up these reasonably priced shoes.
There are whistles, and there are whistles; this is the latter. Your players will hear you no matter what, and if you ever end up referring a game, even a scrimmage in practice, this is the whistle you want.
Depending on what age your team is, the magnetic coaching board may come in handy. I’ve found it to be more useful with the older kids, but hey, if you can also get the little ones to understand how not to bunch up like a beehive, then you’re doing great.
It’s hard to describe how much time you’ll spend inflating soccer balls, but whatever number you’re thinking of, it’s more. Make it easy on yourself and use a powered pump instead of a hand pump and thank me later.
Speaking of soccer balls, you’ll somehow also end up with more of those than when you started. Add in goalie shirts, cones, pinnies, and other items that inevitably end up being left at your field, and you’ll want a good bag to haul it all, especially one with a shoulder strap.
You’re going to want pinnies. I’ve used this set for a couple of seasons now; they hold up well, have a carrying bag, and the numbers are useful. Be sure to get either kids size for the younger ones or adult size if you’re coaching middle school age and up.
As a club, we make sure every kids goes home with a soccer ball, and these have been our go-to for years. They’re not fancy, but for the price they’re a solid youth ball; be sure to order the correct size.
Training
If you want an updated ball without breaking the bank, check out the Nike Academy ball. We’ve had a couple of these at our house with good results; they have good grip and are responsive for a training touch.
is it possible to have too many cones? No. The answer is no. Outline a field, make gates, dribble through them…the possibilities are endless!
You may not use these in every practice, but they’re nice to have, small enough to fit inside your bag, and help make small games more effective by giving the athletes something to kick towards.
If you or your athlete will spend any time training alone, a rebounder is an invaluable tool. This will help them make more effective touches on the ball like it was being passed to them from a partner, allowing for an increased range of training options.
Let’s face it: your kids are going to kick a ball in the house. You might as well get a ball that’s actually designed to be kicked in the house! We have this ball and it’s constantly in motion, from basic footskills, sibling passing, or bouncing it off a wall, all Mom-approved.
What – a boot dryer??!? Here me out – ever had stinky shoes? That stink comes from moisture. Getting rid of the moisture equals getting rid of the stink – you’re welcome.