Shin pads are compulsory in organised football under the Laws of the Game, and referees will not allow a player onto the field without them. The reason is simple: the shin has almost no protective tissue and a mistimed tackle is a fracture risk.
Lightweight moulded pads with a shock-absorbing backing, in Junior and Senior sizes.
Getting the size right
A shin pad should cover the majority of the shin, finishing roughly 5cm below the knee at the top and just above the ankle at the bottom.
- Junior — Children and younger players, roughly up to 150cm tall.
- Senior — Older juniors, teenagers and adults.
Too short and the pad leaves the lower shin exposed, which is exactly where most contact happens. Too long and it catches on the knee when the player runs, which is uncomfortable enough that they will start pushing it down and defeating the purpose.
Wearing them properly
Under the Laws of the Game, shin pads must be entirely covered by the socks. This is not a stylistic rule — an exposed pad edge can injure another player in a tackle, and a referee can order a player off to fix it.
Pull the sock over the full pad. Many players add a strip of sock tape above and below the pad to stop it sliding down during play, which is worth doing for anyone who finds their pads migrating toward their ankles by half-time.
Care and school use
Wipe them down after every match and let them dry fully. Pads sit against skin inside a sock for ninety minutes and are worse than most kit for holding sweat.
Replace them if the shell cracks, since a cracked pad concentrates impact rather than spreading it. For schools running football programmes, keeping a stock of both Junior and Senior sizes is more useful than buying premium pads — a correctly sized basic pad protects better than an expensive one that does not fit. WhatsApp 083 563 2999 for school and club pricing.
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