I’ve written a few versions of the soccer girls essentials, but my list was definitely in need of an update for 2016 now that both my girls are older. Here’s the “Soccer Girl Essentials 2016” for my girls at the moment. As always, I’m not an expert- just sharing the things that my girls use and love.
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CLEATS (or boots if you’re English)
My girls still love the Nike cleats– one likes the Mercurial line and the other likes the Magista line.
SOCCER BALL
Just like with cleats, my girls like the Nike soccer balls. They come in different sizes and are used according to age. My kids started with a size 3 ball then went to a 4 ball around 8 years old and then moved to a size 5 ball at age 12. Here’s an article that discusses all the different types of soccer balls and why they vary so much in price.
SHIN GUARDS
For your own comfort you MUST have your kids use slip in shinguards as soon as possible! I’m sure traditional shin guards that cover the ankle and foot are more protective, but oh man, do they start to smell! The slip in ones are a huge improvement and are also easy to toss in the washing machine. My girls usually just slide them in their socks and are good to go, but there are many types of straps and covers that help them stay in place if needed. Trust me, this one is good for the whole family!
SLIDERS
At the moment
SPORTS BRA
Sports bras that are comfortable, supportive and cute are definitely an essential for soccer girls. Because they often change jerseys on the sideline they definitely don’t want to be wearing anything embarrassing or too revealing. My BSG loves the Lululemon Sports Bras (of course, right?!) and she asks for those for her birthday and Christmas gifts. They are very cute and come in many different colors and patterns. My little soccer girl really likes the “girl” brand of Lululemon- Ivivva, but she’s about to grow out of their Sports Bras. I know that these brands are really expensive, but they really last and perform! I know that you are supposed to take great care when washing these things, but I have to admit that I don’t. I’ve washed and dried the Ivivva Sports Bras approximately 2,000 times (only a slight exaggeration!) and they still look great. My girls also like the Nike Pro sports bras. For little girls, there are cute sports bras at Target as well.
WATER BOTTLE
We have all sorts of different water bottles, but the current craze at the high school is the S’well bottles. They are pretty over the top expensive for a water bottle, but again the girls got them for Christmas. They are very cute and do an amazing job of keeping water cold and ice frozen. Last weekend we were at a tournament where it was over 100 degrees. BSG had filled up her bottle with ice in the morning at home and then just continued to replenish the water throughout the day. The ice was still there when we got home. I’ve heard that they keep things hot just as well, but we’ve never tried it. S’well also donates money to UNICEF to help provide clean drinking water for those in need. Of course there are plenty of other great options- LSG still likes to use her $5 Gatorade bottle.
HEADBANDS/PREWRAP
Most soccer girls use some kind of headband to hold their hair back. The most popular is the ever present colorful pre-wrap which comes in a million colors. I’m not really sure what it’s supposed to be used for, but it makes great headbands and you can’t beat the price. The girls have gone through phases where they’ve liked Lululemon headbands, Nike headbands and many others, but they always seem to return to the almighty pre-wrap.
SUNSCREEN (FACE)
A very important addition to any soccer bag is sunscreen. Most girls I know are super picky about sunscreen because they don’t want it stinging their eyes or running down their face. We’ve come up with a couple of options that my girls like. BSG is a big fan of the Sun Bum stick because she says it’s easy to put on and smells good. I think they carry it at Tillys, but I usually order through Amazon. I like the clear zinc products for a total block for the face and chest- Sun Bum Face and Ocean Potion Face. I carry the zinc products and stick the sticks in their soccer backpacks. For the body we just purchased some Sun Bum spray– it smells great.
UGG BOOTS
It’s hot as I write this so we won’t be needing these any time soon, but Ugg boots (or similar) are super helpful for those chilly mornings. They are easy to slip on and off and keep you cozy. They are definitely a soccer mom essential too! They can be very pricy (another Christmas gift suggestion!) but there are many knock off similar boots at a much lower price point so you won’t be horrified when they get covered in grass and mud. Check Costco in the fall for their cute version at a much more reasonable price.
UNDER ARMOR
Again this isn’t something we are thinking about right now in summer, but when it’s cold outside it’s time to put on the Under Armor. (This is just a generic name for something that you wear underneath your uniform to keep you warm. Under Armor now makes tons of other things and you can buy similar cold gear from many other brands) Now, it isn’t usually cold enough here to need it, but we’ve used it when we’ve traveled and sometimes for a very cold winter morning. My girls don’t usually like wearing it, but have been glad to have it when the temperatures really drop. Some teams/tournaments are picky about the color of the Under Armor, but we just go with black and white and make it work.
MISC
These are just a few of the things that I throw in their backpacks. The Sneaker Balls are great for cutting down smelly odors although I think we need an industrial strength kind! Keeping a small first aid kit handy is always a good idea as well as lipgloss, lots of hair ties and hand sanitizer.
In addition, BSG likes to bring her Mophie Powerstation to charge her phone…just in case there has been an overabundance of Snapchatting that day. Although I usually don’t allow them in the car (I like for us to all listen to music together and chat- torture I’m sure!) sometimes earbuds come in handy.
PHONE
Let’s face it- the ultimate Soccer Girl essential is always the cell phone 🙂 They might forget anything on the list above, but the phone is always with them.
Did I forget anything? Anyone have any additions?
What a great list! I’m saving it. Just a note that all your text links do not work because there are a few spaces before the link making the HTTP repeat a few times. 🙂 For anyone clicking, just delete the first part and then the link works.
Thanks so much for the heads up! I fixed them 🙂 Thanks again for reading and commenting!
For those girls whose teeth aren’t perfect yet but are on their way to perfection by way of braces- be sure to pack mouth guards. My daughter forgot to put hers in once for a game (they were in her bag…) and thankfully she didn’t get hit in the mouth. My soccer player is young (hence the braces) and isn’t too into name brands. She doesn’t need to wear sports bras for support but wears one, like you said, in case she needs to change her jersey on the sidelines. We buy her sports bras at TJ Maxx and they are super cheap. She loves them. She’ll probably want lulus in a couple of years so I should enjoy the “cheap” years while I can.
Thanks so much for reading and commenting. Good call on the mouth guard, but both my girls have braces at the moment and they don’t wear them. Maybe I should look into it!
Great list! Our daughter has most of what you mention in her bag. Here are a few other things she likes to bring that have come in handy:
SPF Chapstick
Friction Block Stick for blisters (especially when breaking in a new pair of cleats)
Extra socks (for multi-game tournaments)
Great additions! We’ve never tried a Friction Block Stick- sounds great. Definitely lots of extra socks are important. Thanks so much for reading and commenting!
Great list! We’re pretty simple around here and don’t pack much in the bag, we’ve even gone back to plain plastic water bottles from the market because the refillable kind was always getting forgotten at home or the field. My dd does wear the Copas (unfortunately they don’t hold up as long as the Nike’s, between club and high school soccer we’ve been replacing them every 6 months which is super hard on the wallet!), but we usually buy whatever ball is on sale at the soccer store since she has lost a few at practice and tournaments.
As for additions to your list we also have a bag for uniforms. I used to use Ziplock bags, but found that dd wouldn’t put the jersey or practice shirt back in the bag after the game and her bag reaks. Lately we’ve been using a drawstring bag to hold the stuff. After the game she throws her jersey in the drawstring and it’s easy to grab it to wash. I occasionally wash the drawstring in the washer and it keeps her uniform from smelling like the disgusting soccer bag (think we’re going to invest in a new soccer bag this year!).
Great ideas! Yes we use a ziplock for uniforms too. Thanks for reading and commenting!!
As of 01/01/2016, it is illegal to purchase the Adidas Copas in California. We found this out when we needed to replaced my stepdaughter’s cleats. However, it is available in Nevada so we bought some during the Player’s Showcase.
I forgot!!! Thanks for reminding me and for reading and commenting!
IF YOUR CHILD WANTS TO PLAY WITH A CAST ON THEIR ARM CHECK OUT : THECASTPROTECTOR.COM
Thanks!