New to Grassroots football? Here's a matchday checklist of items for players ahead of the new season

The new football season is approaching, and that means for a lot of people, albeit players trying football for the first time, or leaving a youth setup to play adults football for the first time. This checklist is aimed at players who want to know what to bring with them, and what to prepare, for a matchday. It is useful to know what to bring with you as a player, as every team varies, so get your checklist sorted to make sure you’re ready for the next game.

MATCHDAY BAG ESSENTIALS:

• Football Kit: A club may entrust you with a football club, make sure it is washed and packed away as a priority. It normally consists of a top, shorts, and socks.

• Football Boots: There are two types of boots: metal Studs, and Moulds. Moulds are the most common and best used on dry pitches, and Studs are used when the pitch is muddy and a slip hazard. If your team plays on 3G/4G pitches you won’t be allowed to play in Studs, so make sure to always bring your Moulds.

• Boot Bag: A place to keep your boots, separating the wet and muddy boots from the rest of the items in your matchday bag.

• GK Gloves: If you’re a goalkeeper make sure to pack your gloves with you. If you are the regular shot stopper most gloves don’t provide gloves, so either bring them yourself, or check with your manager.

• GK Hat: If you’re a goalkeeper don’t forget your hat, the sun can impact your vision and having a trusty hat can keep your eyes on the game.

• Shin Pads / Ankle Pads: Mandatory in the adult’s game, you will not be allowed to play without them. Also, some shin pads come with added ankle protection.

• Waterproof Jacket: Football in the United Kingdom has always been variable, even in warm weather months. A good waterproof jacket is essential to make sure you stay dry on matchdays when needed.

• Sports Bag: Invest in a good matchday bag that can take all your stuff with you.

• Water / Sports Drinks: Clubs may not provide water or sports drinks on the day so make sure to bring your own.

• Medications: If you have any medications, make sure to bring them to a game, especially inhalers if you’re asthmatic. If you have a health condition and bring medication to a game please inform the club as a priority, as all adults clubs are required to have a first aid officer on hand. This will help you in the case of an emergency and you need to be treated.

• Grip Socks (Optional): Grip socks have become very popular in the game, make sure to bring the right padding for your boot to get the best performance.

• Sock Tape (Optional): Sock tape is useful at keeping your shin pad and socks in place whilst you are playing, especially if you’re using your own grip sock.

SEASONAL ITEMS:

• Thermal Gloves: For winter matches, you may want to pack a pair of sports thermal gloves as it can get cold in the winter.

• Base Layers: For winter matches you may want to bring a sports undershirt and leggings to help keep you warm as you’re playing.

• Training Apparel: The club may provide a sports track suit to wear to a game, and a training top. Having a sports jacket is very useful, as it can keep you warm on the sideline, during the warmup, and you can wear it if you are a substitute in place of a bib which doesn’t have the same warmth.

• Spare Clothes: For the wet months, most players carry a spare pair of clothes in their matchday bag to make sure they have something dry to get changed into if their other clothes get wet and muddy. Don’t forget the spare socks.

• Sun cream: For summer matches make sure to bring with you sun cream to prevent sunburn. If you have fair skin, this might be a year round essential

• Waterproof Bag Cover: When it rains, you don’t want your items to be soaked during the game and damaging your belongings. Most players in the modern game bring their bag to pitch side as some clubs don’t have, or don’t lock, their changing facilities. A neat trick we’ve learned is to use a Garden Waste bag or waste bag are very good at keeping your bag dry, and they are also relatively cheap to buy and accessible from most shops.

EXTRAS & OPTIONALS:

• Towels: If your club has changing facilities, it is up to you if you want to use them, and if you do make sure you bring a towel to dry yourself.

• Snacks / Food: Matchdays can take a large chunk of your day, so may sure to bring any provisions with you to get you through. Especially if you are diabetic or have a medical condition that requires you to take food with medicine. Protein bars, chocolate (Jaffa Cakes for energy), and fruit are recommended.

• Hand Sanitizer: Always useful to have in any scenario. Especially to help clear your hands if the conditions are poor.

• Boot Brush: A portable boot brush & cleaner are great at cleaning your boots after a game. You can get conventional ones that are just a brush, or modern ones that have water to help clear all the fresh mud off.

• Spare Cash: In case of emergencies, or emergency transport, make sure to have spare funds. You can also pay your match fees with cash too, particularly if your new team is old school and pay a match official with cash (which is more common than you think)

Aside from things that you need to bring, here are some expectations for the matchday experience, as joining a new club can be overwhelming at first if you have been out of the local game for a period of time.

THINGS TO KNOW WHEN SIGNING UP FOR A LOCAL TEAM:

• Matchday Travel / Commute: Make sure you plan your journey to your pitch with plenty of time to spare. UK roads are temperamental, so if you drive yourself make sure to check in advance for any road closures, and departure times. If you don’t drive, you can ask someone in the team for help or check your local public transportation schedules if they are applicable in your area.

• Rubbish Disposal: Make sure to clear up any rubbish you leave behind at a game. Football is a game of respect, leave the pitch the same way you found it.

• Playing Fees: Clubs charge you money for playing at grassroots level. This may include a Signing-On fee, Kit Fee, Training Fees, and Matchday fees. Each club is different so check to make sure that you’re not falling into debt.

• Lino Duty: Usually at most grassroots games there will be a referee, and it is up to the clubs to provide one linesman for the duration of the game. Make sure you are familiar with the offside rule and play fairly. Keep your arm in the air if a player is offside, you are considered a part of the official’s team if you are running the line.

• Sock Length: In the FA handbook it is required that players who cut their socks and use an under sock, like a previously mentioned grip sock, pull the sock down to ankle length. If it is higher than the ankle a referee has every right to ask you to pull down and re-tape your sock.

• Arrival Time: Very important, make sure to arrive on time. Coaches like to see punctuality, arriving just before kick-off will most likely see you on the bench. Clubs normally have a routine for players to go through including a warmup to prepare for the match.

• Matchday Setup: Lots of clubs play down on pitches where the club must manually setup the goals, nets, and corner flags. It is perfectly normal for clubs to have rotas or expect players to assist in getting the goals setup as a team effort.

• Disciplinary Fees: Yellow and Red cards you get in-game incur fines that the player has to pay to their club. A club will notify you of your card and the fee you need to pay. Red cards have suspension lengths which a club can also notify you on.

• Jewellery: You can’t wear any obstructive jewellery in football. This includes nose rings, nose studs, wedding rings, necklaces, and bracelets of any kind. You can tape a wedding ring to conceal it. If a referee catches you wearing jewellery not permitted, you will receive a yellow card.

• Respect: Lastly, and most importantly, show respect to everyone you encounter. You meet a lot of different age groups in adults’ football, so treat everyone as a teammate. This includes the opposition and the referee. Everyone is there to enjoy their football, so many sure to carry yourself well amongst your peers. Referees have a zero tolerance and will book you with a card and potentially sin bin them for disrespecting them.

That should be everything to have you covered getting into the world of adult’s football. If there are any concerns or questions you can always check with a representative of your club. Make sure you’re matchdays are planned, and good luck for your next game!

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