Doese anyone whose DC play football know about kits?

[BabyDoge]

DS4 has just started going to a football club. He's never really been into football before so doesn't have any of the gear, but all of the other boys have full kits on. I want to get him a kit so he doesn't stand out, but I want to make sure I get the right one.
We don't really have a team we support so I'm looking at an England one. Does it matter whether I get him the home or away kit? Is one more "cool" than the other?
I realise I'm overthinking a lot about a 4 year old's football kit, but he's already very self-conscious that they're all much better than him so I want to make sure he's at least wearing the right stuff.

I don’t think one is seen as better than the other but to be cool, it needs to be the most up to date one.

If he is 4 none of them will know what is up to date or not.

You can get any kit - they would all be fine.

Any kit seems to go around here. Most of them are fake! Lots of Inter Miami kits with Lionel Messi name and number, and Real Madrid with Bellingham. If my son and his friends are anything to go by, it’s having a name/number on it that makes it desirable.

Thanks for your reply. The England store seem to be having a Black Friday sale on the 24/25 home kit. The away kit's still full price, which may make my decision 😜

Any is fine, unless everyone has one team and he has the other. DH supports a team so DS has kit from that team. He doesn’t know which is their most recent kit and he wouldn’t know the same about other teams etc. I’d say that doesn’t kick in till about 6.

we aleays get kit on Vinted as it’s so much cheaper.

I'm going to sound pathetic but I think I'm a bit worried about what the other dads might think. As a non-sporty mum I find it quite intimidating 😬

The likelihood of them thinking about your child is very slim. They have no reason to as they’ll be thinking about their child first and then all the other things going on in their head.

Rationally I know you're right. We're just not a sporty family, and the other boys you can tell have been kicking a ball about at home since they could walk. So I feel like he sticks out like a sore thumb, but I understand that's probably my problem. But he loves going and fully expects to be man of the match every week 😂

So I have two very footie mad sons who have played from grassroots right through to Academy. Here are my top tips.

1. Awesoen you want to get him a kit - he will love it! Any current England kit will be great - don’t worry about home or away. It doesn’t matter.
2. Do get your kids name on the back as that will make him feel really special. Normally it’s his last name but that’s up to you.
3. Get shirts, shirts and socks. Matching kit will look great and he will feel it’s the full thing.
4. Shin pads can be any as long as they are thr right size.
5. For his age, moulded boots are best. Doesn’t matter what kind but just the ones he likes which is mainly based on colour. Nike outlet store is a good shout.

Its a fun journey and all the best to him. Good luck!

Thank you for your helpful post 😊

No worries at all. Please do let us know if you have any other questions. 😃

My kids' first kits were Real Madrid and PSG off eBay....at the time they didn't support any English teams so we went with random European ones.
They've since settled on Liverpool but still like a European kit and my son wears any hand me down LFC kits from his older cousin, doesn't have to be the latest.

At 4 years old don't worry, any current kit is fine. My DS10 has been playing for 6 years and all the kids and his friends are kitted in all different clubs; from premier league, home and away kits to Inter Milan, Juventus, PSG, Inter Miami, Bayern Munich and Al Nassir!

When my kids were young, all the kids wore kits from DHGate or eBay rather than the official ones.

About 1/5 of the price - so it didn't matter when they got wrecked playing or if they grew out of them quickly.

Home or away are both fine. If you're going for England kit, I'd pick the away kit. Mine are now banned from white kits! Darker kits will last a lot, lot longer.

Look on Vinted or Facebook for cheaper (almost definitely fake!) kits.

Just to add into the mix, if your son is playing for a club, will they not provide him with their team kit once you start paying subs? If this is the case you might not want to pay too much. They grow so fast at that age, definitely recommend vinted or amazon for good fakes.

Please don’t worry about what other parents think. They really won’t - and those thinking unkind things aren’t worth worrying about!

I hope he loves his kit and enjoys being part of a team.

One tip and one tip only. Avoid white. Especially shorts. Nightmare for keeping them looking clean. Everything stains. For this reason England away kit and not home if you decide to go for the national kit!

You can pick up Sondico long sleeved tops and skins (like long johns) from Sports Direct, these are a must for outdoors training.

Nothing to add to what has been said on here about kit but honestly, don't worry what the other parents may or may not be thinking. They will be fully focused on their own kids and will only notice yours if he scores a great goal or otherwise shines at the game itself.

Tbh, rather than stressing about kit, I'd get him a ball and a goal for the garden so he can practice when he feels like it. Skills count for far more than kit.

At 4, he will have another year or so at general football training and then they will probably start putting them into teams for a U7 league. At that point, he will get a team kit for training and matches, but he will have also picked his own Premier league or international team to support, so will no doubt be asking for all the latest kit for that team.

If he enjoys the game, you will be spending a lot of time at the weekends on the side of pitches in the cold and rain, but it is great fun. Enjoy!

This, 100% (and thermals for you).

This is generally good advice and I say that with two kids that play BUT don’t get his name on a shirt, get a players name

Theres a safeguarding concern if it’s his name and it allows strangers to know who he is

This is very good advice but, luckily, a well known player's name is far cooler than his own anyway.

Yeah I guess that’s a personal decision. I guess if your kid is protected or if you have issues I would agree. We always did and I would again but take your point. Thank you.