Soccer Shoes for Kids

What kinds of shoes do kids need to play soccer? That can be a difficult question to answer given the many choices and advice that people have to offer concerning children’s health and development.

Puma kid shoe Let’s first address children’s health and development in the game of soccer. It has been a popular belief that children should not wear soccer shoes with studs or cleats until they reach the age of 12. The explanation has been that the player’s foot will stick to the ground while changing direction and cause injury to the knee. Research suggests that only one in six knee sprains is caused by the player’s shoe becoming stuck to the ground. More often than not, the injuries appear to be sustained while the player is off balance and or playing on poor field conditions. Stay tuned as research continues in this area.

Probably, the biggest factors in determining what shoes your child should wear to play soccer are:

Budget – On average you can get some decent children’s soccer shoes starting from about $15.00. If you have an interest in developing your child’s soccer skills, you may want to look at finding a shoe with leather uppers, which will allow them better touch and feel on the ball. These will usually cost a little bit more. Many shoes with synthetic uppers do not offer much in the way of ball control but do still offer good traction for the player. Some synthetics do offer materials that assist with ball control.
Playing surface –Determine the kind of playing surface the child will be playing on to decide what kind of outsole you need. Flat, hard indoor surfaces will require an indoor shoe with a rubber sole. Outdoor surfaces will require either turf shoes with the smaller “nubs” or cleated shoes depending on the surface condition. Harder dryer playing surfaces are better served using the turf shoes while the molded cleats are better suited for softer, wetter surfaces.
Looks – Okay, this isn’t a functional criteria but it is important nonetheless. Make sure you involve your child in the process of selecting his or her shoes. After all, they are the one who will be wearing them - and they want to look cool.