This post is long overdue. In the last two years, startup companies have begun producing high-quality, low-cost goalkeeper gloves. If you go to soccer.com's glove page right now, the three
featured gloves you'll see at the top of the page all cost well over $100. Uhlsport CerberusMolded: $109.99. Adidas FS Ultimate: $129.99. Nike Total90 Confidence (drum roll please) $149.99.
Are these gloves worth it? Maybe, maybe not. What I can say for sure is that there are professional-quality gloves available for much, much less.
The first glove to challenge the big manufacturers was The One Glove. It has received excellent reviews and has been worn by a few pros in the UK. You won't find it here in the States, but US keepers can order it from www.great-save.com for a list price of $43.
A more recent addition to the ranks are the gloves from DFlekt. They have two models, the Pro Roll ($30) and the Aqua Star ($40), both of which have been very well reviewed by members at The Glove Bag (www.theglovebag.com). Check out D-Flekt's gloves here: http://www.d-flekt.com/index.html
Pro-GK offers several models with different cuts and palm thicknesses. They run a bit more expensive, at around $50, and have already been worn in Football League games by the likes of Derek Stillie at Gillingham. http://www.pro-gk.com/index.html
Warby Goalkeeping has several great-looking models around US $40. The Goleiro Pro Roll Legend is my favorite-looking glove of the year. http://warbygk.com/
Accrington Stanley goalkeeper Kenny Arthur has launched (and wears) his own line of gloves. They have won lots of fans, and several pros have started to wear them (my pal John Hillcoat of East Stirlingshire reports that he will be wearing them next season). The fact that Kenny wears these himself in his league games is a testament to their quality. http://www.kagoalkeeping.co.uk/Keep in mind that you'll pay a bit more for overseas shipping for most of these gloves, tho the rates are usually reasonable, and some of the companies are offering deals.
These new companies are a great development for goalkeepers everywhere. By offering a quality alternative to the high prices of the big manufacturers, they're helping to make the game more affordable. We all know the pain of watching expensive gloves deteriorate. That pain hurts a little less when it isn't stabbing at the wallet quite as much.
3 comments:
Question? When did goalkeepers star wearing gloves?
Hey Matt. Keepers had worn gloves in rain/mud/cold weather almost from the start of the game, but they didn't start wearing them in all conditions, as they do now, until the mid-late 70s. German keeper Sepp Maier is generally credited with starting the trend, and by the 1978 World Cup it was very rare to see a keeper without gloves. By the 1982 World Cup, the modern technology of latex-palmed gloves was established, and every keeper since then has worn them.
This blog is a great idea. How about comments and suggestions for gloves/glove liners in very cold weather?
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