American Football

Tackle kit, flag kit and the ball itself:

are three different shopping lists. A tackle player needs a helmet with a facemask, shoulder pads, padded pants or a girdle with hip and thigh pads, a mouthguard and cleats. Flag is non-contact, so the list shrinks to a flag belt, a ball and footwear, and molded soccer cleats do the job for most flag players. Football cleats add a toe stud at the front and, for linemen, a higher cut around the ankle. Gloves split the same way: tacky receiver gloves for catching, padded lineman gloves for blocking. Cones, agility ladders and resistance gear for the off-season sit with general training kit in exercise equipment. Balls come in leather and composite. Leather grips best once it is broken in; composite is tacky from the first throw and copes better with a wet field, which is why most practice balls are composite; Wilson, the name most players know, makes both.

Helmet and shoulder pad fit:

matters more than the name on the shell. A helmet is sized by head circumference, measured about an inch above the eyebrows, and should sit snug without rocking when the player shakes their head, with the front edge a finger’s width above the brows. Shoulder pads go by the width across the shoulders and by position: linemen wear bulkier pads with more coverage, while receivers and backs wear lighter, lower-profile ones that free the arms. Youth and adult sizes are not interchangeable, and a teenager who is still growing is better off in pads that fit now than in a size to grow into.

A used helmet’s value sits on the label inside the shell:

every certified helmet carries one with its date of manufacture, and that date counts for more than the paint. Reconditioners will not recertify a helmet once it reaches ten years old, so a shell that looks perfect at nine years has little life left, while a recent one with a reconditioning sticker is worth paying more for. Look for cracks in the shell, especially around the screw holes, check that the facemask is straight and the chin strap clips hold, and press the inner padding: foam that stays flat has lost its spring. Pads and girdles age differently. The plastic lasts; the foam and straps are what go, and pads packed away season after season in a bag still damp with sweat smell, stiffen and grow mould along the seams, so ask whether they were aired out after practice. Fan jerseys are the most copied item in the sport: on a fake NFL jersey the printed numbers peel, the shield on the collar sits crooked and the stitching around the name plate is loose.

A helmet, pads or a full set going to a new player:

sells faster with the details a buyer cannot judge from a photo. Give the helmet size and photograph the date label, any reconditioning sticker, the inner padding and the chin strap. For pads, state the size and the position they were made for; for cleats, the size and whether the studs are molded or detachable. A player who has stopped playing often sells everything together, which suits a beginner kitting out a first season in one go. Expect that buyer to ask to try the helmet on, so let them buckle the chin strap and shake their head before anyone agrees a price.

FAQ:

• Which ball size does a child need?

  Balls are graded by age: pee wee for about six to nine, junior for nine to twelve, youth for twelve to fourteen, and the official size from fourteen up. A child with a full-size ball cannot get a hand far enough round it to throw a spiral.

• Do flag football players need pads?

  No. Nobody tackles in flag, so there are no helmets or shoulder pads; defenders pull a flag from the ball carrier’s belt instead. A team does need enough belts in two colours to tell the sides apart, and many players still wear a mouthguard.