Ultimate Rookie Shopping List
So the student loan has dropped, you’re new to the game and buying stuff for training this weekend. Perhaps it’s your first contact session so you need the essentials but you don’t want to shop around or walk into town to try find some gear. Well fear not you lazy fuck knuckle GH has your back! We’ve compiled the uniball pre-season shopping list that’ll get to your door reliably, with a few options allowing you to be pick and choose how much you want to spend.
Mouthguard
You literally can’t play without one. You have two options available here, the first option you have is a normal mouthguard used in hockey rugby etc which will do a fine job for football players, however I’d really recommend going for the second option here as you can strap it onto your face cage. Strapped ones are a godsend as you’ll never lose or forget it.
Proworks Impact Resistant Mouth Guard
Price: £6.95
Link: https://amzn.to/2Pc7oqD
Oral Mart Sports Mouth Guard/Gum Shield with Strap
Price: £12.43
Link: https://amzn.to/2QpeyrE
Thermals
Winter’s coming! The best value for money thermals IMO are by Under Armour who conveniently have a huge sale on everything from sleeveless under garments to full leggings which are all available through prime delivery. You’re gonna need something to go under those pads to keep you warm.
Under Armour Cg Armour Crew Men’s Long-Sleeve Shirt
Price: From £21.89
Link: https://amzn.to/2BWG4bS
Under Armour HG ARMOUR Men’s Long-Sleeve Shirt
Price: From £21.89
Link: https://amzn.to/2IFeNw2
Practice Jersey (check team colours)
Your coach is going to make you cover your pads with a practice jersey during training. Typically it’s white for offence and black for defence, but check with your team as some of them do it differently.
Budget Option:
Rawlings Sporting Goods Men’s Premium Pro Cut Practice Football Jersey
Price: £14.81
Link: https://amzn.to/2y1ecAR
Baller Option:
Men’s Under Armour Football Practice Jersey
Price: £35.99
Link: https://amzn.to/2No65mH
Eye black
It helps with glare apparently? Perfect for that mid-winter sunlight and it looks kinda cool.
Wilson Eye Stick, Black
Price: £11.44
Link: https://amzn.to/2IHYdM8
Gloves (check team colours?)
Firstly, these are tacky so they make catching easier. Secondly they look good. Finally, Uniball is cold as fuck son so you’ll be needing these. Some teams care about team colours, but in general most Uniball teams aren’t bothered with the colour you wear. With the exception of QBs everyone will benefit from having some gloves, so have a look, see what you fancy. Typically lineman wear heavy padded gloves and all other positions WRs, DBs, LBs and RBs will use less or totally unpadded gloves.
Receiver Gloves – Budget Option:
Under Armour F5 Football Gloves – Midnight Navy 410
Price: £25.00
Link: https://amzn.to/2QpgwZ4
Receiver Gloves – Dope Option:
Men’s Nike Vapor Jet 5.0 Football Gloves
Price: From £47.24
Link: https://amzn.to/2BWUTv4
Lineman Gloves – “Budget” Option:
WILSON tacktech MVP lineman american football gloves [black]
Price: £39.95
Link: https://amzn.to/2pyuNqS
Lineman Gloves – Dope Option:
adidas Freak Max Adult Football Lineman Gloves
Price: From £68.02
Link: https://amzn.to/2NluhWF
Latex medical gloves
Keep your hands dry and warm under those football gloves. Fantastic purchase for any individual or a dozen team members to chuck a quid in for.
Box 200 – Omnitex Nitrile Blue Gloves XL, Extra Large – Powder Free
Price: £13.50
Link: https://amzn.to/2OvM2aD
Pads (check your position)
Hopefully you’re aware you need these. Positions differ slightly by amount of protection and how much mobility you have in the pads e.g. QBs will have the smallest pads to allow them to move freely, whereas lineman pads are a lot more built up.
Budget Pads for QB/WR/DB:
Barnett VISION II Football Shoulder Pad, QB-WR-DB
Price: From £59.90
Link: https://amzn.to/2BWrBNb
Budget Pads for LB/RB/OL/DL:
Barnett VISION III Football Shoulder Pad, FB-LB-TE-OL-DL
Price: £64.53
Link: https://amzn.to/2NnIRgj
Nicer Pads for QB/WR/DB:
Barnett MARK I Football Shoulder Pad Pro, QB-WR
Price: £74.90
Link: https://amzn.to/2NnK7jy
Nicer Pads for OL/DL/LB/RB:
Barnett MARK IV Football Shoulder Pad Pro, OL-DL
Price: £80.58
Link: https://amzn.to/2Qt0A7U
Game pants (check your team colours)
As cheap as you’ll see anywhere, follow the link and you can find similar pairs in a variety of colours.
Full Force American Football Professional Stretch Trousers
Price: £20.42
Link: https://amzn.to/2BWWBfY
Girdle
Well worth a buy to save you the embarrassment of going out with your hip pads upside down. A girdle is mandatory equipment on gameday so it’s not a bad shout to buy a set early on. This mandatory set must include knee pads so a 5 piece alone won’t do it, but speak to your club as they often have spare knees floating about.
5 piece (no knee pads):
Full Force Adult’s Bull Rush 5 Pad Football Girdle
Price: From £34.10
Link: https://amzn.to/2xYXgdV
Mans best friend, the 7 piece girdle:
Full Force American Football Men’s Trousers with 7 Pockets and 7 Sewn-In Pads black
Price: £40.80
Link: https://amzn.to/2No19hE
The classic 7 piece pad set if you did fancy one (club kit supplies?)
Full force American football saver 7 piece pad set
Price: £11.66
Link: https://amzn.to/2Qt1eSS
Eyewear
A pair of goggles so you look like fucking Dexter. ESSENTIAL.
OBAOLAY Sports Protective Eyewear Goggles Black
Price: £7.39
Link: https://amzn.to/2BWLlA8
Cleats
Your cleats have the power to make or break your gameday appearance. It’s pretty tough to find football cleats in the UK unless you want to order stuff in from stateside or Europe. Of course a pair of soccer boots can do a job, but if you have the cash I’d def recommend getting yourself some proper ones. The three top sellers that are readily available on Amazon are below. If you plan on being a kicker I’d recommend sticking to the soccer boots, otherwise football cleats are certainly the way to go for comfort and performance.
adidas Men’s Freak X Carbon Mid Football Shoe
Price: From £72.33
Link: https://amzn.to/2O9096j
NIKE Mens Lunarbeast PRO TD Football Cleats
Price: From £59.23
Link: https://amzn.to/2y2yY2P
NIKE Men’s Alpha Menace Pro Mid Football Cleat
Price: From £88.88
Link: https://amzn.to/2NmmS9F
Tape
A wise man once said “if you’re not taping, you’re a c*nt”. Fingers might get bent back, ankles might need support and boots might split, so tape can be the difference between playing and not sometimes. Available by prime for those emergency orders.
