How To Size Youth Goalkeeper Gloves

Sizing youth soccer goalie gloves can be challenging. Junior goalkeepers can be tall and slender for their age or smaller than their peers. Youth gloves from the top companies such as Adidas, Reuch, Nike, Uhlsport, Elite Sport, and more can vary in length and width as well. The video shows examples of youth goalkeepers and how we derived at the correct youth goalkeeper glove size and cut.

When sizing and purchasing junior goalie gloves the following are important:

Length of the hand: Measure with a tape measure or ruler the length of the hand from tip of the middle finger to the end of the palm until the first crease of the wrist.  This measurement will help approximate the correct size based on the accurate length. Measuring the width does not help with the length of the hand but does determine the correct cut.

Height and Weight: The body type can help determine which cut may fit better.  A youth goalkeeper with long fingers and a narrow palm may require a more slender cut such as a negative cut or roll palm goalkeeper glove. A junior goalie that is shorter in height with a bit more meat on their bones may need a wider cut such as a flat palm and a wider easy entry closure to pull the keeper glove on and off with ease.

Finger Protection: Of course parents want to protect their goalkeepers fingers.  Youth goalie gloves with finger protection is a personal choice.  It may help protect the fingers and thumb of a developing youth goalkeeper but it does add rigidity. Goalie gloves with fingersaves impact the overall comfort of the glove. Soccer gloves that are too tight may rub against the keeper’s backhand. If the soccer glove is sized too big the youth goalie may loose control of the finger stays. Goalkeeper gloves with finger protection should feel comfortable and part of the hand. The size of the glove and price of the glove lends very much in the overall comfort.

Budget: There are a wide range of price goalkeeper gloves. There is a goalkeeper glove for every goalkeeper at every price point. It is important to select what is most important to you in the sizing and purchasing process. Are you looking for the best finger protection for youth goalkeepers such as with Reusch Ortho Tec or Uhlsport Finger support. Value soccer goalie glove manufacturers such as Elite Sport and The One Glove will have may size ranges from 4 to adult size 11 and sizing would need to be adjusted.  Sizes 4, 5, 6, and even 7 are considered youth sizes but they can fit larger in full size ranges. Only a glove that has junior or youth in the product title is considered a true youth option.  

Additional Information and Caveats:  Goalkeeper glove manufacturers fit different than one another.  They can even fit different from year to year if they switched factories or changed designs.  To be more difficult a Reusch youth goalie glove size 7 fits different than Reusch in adult size 7.  Rounding up and adding an inch to youth gloves does not work since the resulting size will be way too big.  Soccer gloves that are too big break down quicker and are more difficult to control especially if they have finger protection. Sizing youth goalie gloves is not an exact science. 

Watch the Keeperstop.com Goalie Glove Video on youth glove sizing.The examples are also listed below.

Example 1: Smaller 10 year old goalkeeper. Reusch Prisma SG Finger Support Junior, Measured 5 5/8ths inches.  Some sizing guides suggest rounding up over ½ an ich.  In a size 5 this is difficult since the sizing jump is too large.  In the Reusch youth glove she still had a ¼ to ½ inch room in each of the fingers which is very manageable.  The One Glove option with its full sizing range that included junior sizing did not work since it was too big.  Great glove but did not work for out smaller goalkeeper.

Example 2:  Average sized male 12 year old goalkeeper with strong hands and arms.  Youth size 6 fit better.  Youth size 5 gloves his fingers were close to the end and the glove was difficult to slide on.  In the Elite Sport I rounded down to a youth size 5 since the Coraza is youth and adult size run.

Example 3:  Tall and slender youth female goalkeeper with long fingers and a more narrow palm. Length measures 6 ¾ inches.  When a length is above 6.5 inches we can start to consider the higher sizes in youth goalkeeper gloves such as junior size 7 or 8 as well as adult size 7 gloves.  A youth size 7 goalie glove fits smaller than an adult size 7. For our female goalkeeper we rounded up to 7 and added a size to junior size 8.  The Reusch youth glove in size 8 fit her appropriately with a finger nail length room at the top of the gloves. In the Elite Sport Club goalkeeper glove a size 7 fit well.

Adult sizing is easier.  Round up and add a size. Sizing youth goalkeeper gloves is not as accurate and consistent.  The above examples are to help parents, coaches, and goalies during the sizing and purchasing process. Contact keeperstop.com with any goalkeeper glove sizing questions. We are happy to help.