Sports are a great way to pass the time and can be entered into from a relatively early age. From the age of about five many parents put their kids into peewee junior teams to help them socialise and build skills as well as to develop a knowledge and appreciation of the game they’re playing. Sports such as hockey, baseball/softball, football and tennis are popular options for children and parents alike and it’s easy to get wrapped up in the game itself and forget what you might need to get your little sportsperson in order to participate, so here is a quick checklist of things you will likely need to get for your kids in order for them to take part in sports of all kinds.
Baseball
While the team itself often provides things like the ball and uniform, chances are you will need to get a catcher’s mitt in advance of your child being able to play and join the team. Due to the fact that when playing in the field during the game every player requires a glove to help facilitate catching fly balls, long hits deep into the field or even short bunts, you will need to provide a mitt of sorts. Typically made of leather to prolong use and durability, gloves are designed to catch the hard and fast baseballs with a net type addition between the thumb and first finger for added catch-ability. Oil the glove with leather approved oil to help make it softer and to keep the leather in top shape and to help you enjoy years of use. You can find some great options for catcher’s mitts here.
Hockey
Like baseball some basic equipment for hockey would be included if your child is playing for a team. Things like nets, the puck or ball and sometimes even sticks may be included in the team offerings, meaning you just need to purchase things like the cup for boys and possibly the padding as it comes in different sizes. If sticks aren’t provided most sports stores offer a wide variety of sticks of different sizes. Sticks can also be made of a number of materials ranging from traditional wooden sticks to composites such as aluminium and carbon fibre and even kevlar. While wooden sticks are a good starter stick, they can be heavier than the others so be sure to take your child to the shop themselves and get them to try out various sticks to find the right one for them.
Tennis
Most racquet sports will require that you provide both balls/shuttlecocks and the racquet themselves as, like hockey sticks, there are so many on the market made of different materials and they certainly aren’t a one size fits all kind of situation. Racquet sports just make sense to have the balls provided as well so that you can keep them and practice at home as well. Plus balls can be a bit of a hot commodity so having the player provide balls can be a good idea so the trainer/team doesn’t have them go missing for whatever reason. Some trainers may provide them but it’s best to check ahead of time to see what exactly they provide.
So there you have a quick rundown of a couple of the most popular sports and what you need in terms of things to purchase in order play them – either for yourself or your children. Enjoy!