GK Gloves

Reusch a good, proven brand. Uhlsport has gotten no love so far in this thread, bit it is another GK-specific brand that has made great gloves for decades.
 
Reusch a good, proven brand. Uhlsport has gotten no love so far in this thread, bit it is another GK-specific brand that has made great gloves for decades.
Uhlsport fell apart after a month on this end - something you will hear repeated from people on youtube and reddit. Have to go real expensive to get a good glove from them. Reusch is good if you can find them at closeout prices. You have to go at least $120-$150 bucks into a Reusch glove to get something equivalent of solid gloves from Aviata, Elite, WC and some other value brands.
 
Hi All, I'll chime in on a couple of topics....

Gloves: When DD first started in goal part-time we went with Reusch - Finger Saves. I went with them because back in the day all we had were Reusch, Uhlsport,and Adidas as the options. Then started researching other brands to find a less expensive option and she tried a bunch J4K, HO, Aviata, and finally West Coast. She ended up landing on West Coast as her favorite, although her GK coach recommends Aviata. As others have mentioned, within WCG there a few different styles and cuts. It took us trial and error to find what DD liked. I agree with the OP...great service by WCG. Only thing now is that they are slowly raising their price point. Still can get a deal, as they occasionally have sales/discounts.

Finger Saves: She has to have finger protectors. She has recently got a pair of expensive Reusch Gloves (we got them free), and she refuses to try them, no finger protectors. The new Nike Gloves (https://news.nike.com/news/nike-mercurial-touch-elite-goalkeeper-glove) don't appear have them, and showed them to my daughter and she is not a fan of the design. They look like dish gloves. Plus these are super expensive $140+. I am going to ask her Keeper Coach what he thinks about the protectors. That was a good idea.

Glove Washing: I have been doing that job (glad I was not alone, I thought I was...), but she just started taking it over(Yes!). I felt like an equipment manager for way too long. We use the glove wash from WCG, or Reusch, garage rags from Home Depot/Lowes, warm water and a 5-Gallon bucket, and then air dry outside out of direct sunlight. This is done weekly. We have been lucky, no odors. Shoes however, that is another story. Will try some of the suggestions for different soaps.

College Gloves: Good to know about the colleges and mandating the gloves the keepers wear. I did not know that. I get the Uniforms, but shoes and gloves??? Free is good, but preference and what feels/fits best on your hands and feet are better IMO. I know back in the day players would remove the competing logo from the shoe, or black it out to mask the brand (when everyone wore black shoes). Keepers wore the gloves they wanted, either what the school gave them or their own gloves. The gear contracts I am sure are very prescriptive these days on what the kids can and can not wear in practice and games.

We have spent a pretty penny on gloves and gear to find the "right" ones. It was expensive getting there. Now we know what she likes so it is much easier these days. I guess at the end of the day whatever gear (Gloves, Pads, Shoes, shorts, pants, sliders, etc.) they find comfortable and feel good in will be what works for them. That said I am still surprised and can't believe it when I see these keepers on turf wearing short-shorts, and short sleeve keeper jerseys...I know the turf is hot, but the raspberry/turf burn is far worse IMO.

Our goalkeeper coach was going to get a deal with WCG - ordering something like 200-300 pairs. Would supply our club and private training group. Then they signed a couple of pro keepers and they said they couldnt provide gloves and especially at the price point quoted. They have been raising prices since. Their costs are rising due to sponsorships, so it was inevitable. They respond on reddit and people have mentioned it. They are aware they cant go past a certain price point or people will shit to other glove brands
 
Reusch a good, proven brand. Uhlsport has gotten no love so far in this thread, bit it is another GK-specific brand that has made great gloves for decades.
For us it's all about price point and value. Some of the high end gloves from big names like Adidas, Nike, Reusch, and Uhlsport are amazingly grippy right out of the box. But the more grip, the less durable they are. My kid has 4 practices a week (team plus GK training) 10 months a year (for club and HS) plus games. If I have to blow another $150 every three months, forget it. We found the smaller brands (WC, Aviata, etc.) to be 95% of the quality of the premium models of those big names at less than half the cost. Going with WC or Aviata over the others is not even close in my mind. You can often get deals where you're getting a glove nearly as good as the pro-level Adidas for just $50 bucks. I won't spend over $80 for gloves because they simply don't last long enough to justify it.
 
Our goalkeeper coach was going to get a deal with WCG - ordering something like 200-300 pairs. Would supply our club and private training group. Then they signed a couple of pro keepers and they said they couldnt provide gloves and especially at the price point quoted. They have been raising prices since. Their costs are rising due to sponsorships, so it was inevitable. They respond on reddit and people have mentioned it. They are aware they cant go past a certain price point or people will shit to other glove brands

Two years ago I worked a deal with WCG and J4K to get about 35-40 pairs of gloves for the keepers (Youngers/Mids/Olders) in my DD's old club that went regularly to keeper training. I worked with the Keeper Coach to get all the sizes. I would go to training and see kids with holes in their gloves, or really worn out gloves, etc. J4K donated sizes 4-6 and WCG provided at a very, very steep discount personalization error and defect gloves for Size 7-11 (they covered up the personalization on the glove and you could not see any defect). We ended up getting each kid a new pair of gloves with a few left over. WCG sent us a banner and we hung it up and had the keepers take pictures and sent them to WCG. It was pretty cool for them.

It surprises me that the clubs (especially the larger ones) do not have deals with some of the glove companies, or a program where, additional to tuition the keepers pay to get 3-4 pairs of gloves for the year (1 pair for every 3-4 months) for a set price. For example a 30 Team club with 40 GK's rostered across age groups that is 120-160 pairs. I know many trainers have deals with certain glove companies and provide discounts for their students, usually around 20% from what I have seen. I wonder how much the gloves actually cost to make. What the margins are.

I tried this again at the new club with the same contact at WCG and no dice unfortunately.
 
Two years ago I worked a deal with WCG and J4K to get about 35-40 pairs of gloves for the keepers (Youngers/Mids/Olders) in my DD's old club that went regularly to keeper training. I worked with the Keeper Coach to get all the sizes. I would go to training and see kids with holes in their gloves, or really worn out gloves, etc. J4K donated sizes 4-6 and WCG provided at a very, very steep discount personalization error and defect gloves for Size 7-11 (they covered up the personalization on the glove and you could not see any defect). We ended up getting each kid a new pair of gloves with a few left over. WCG sent us a banner and we hung it up and had the keepers take pictures and sent them to WCG. It was pretty cool for them.

It surprises me that the clubs (especially the larger ones) do not have deals with some of the glove companies, or a program where, additional to tuition the keepers pay to get 3-4 pairs of gloves for the year (1 pair for every 3-4 months) for a set price. For example a 30 Team club with 40 GK's rostered across age groups that is 120-160 pairs. I know many trainers have deals with certain glove companies and provide discounts for their students, usually around 20% from what I have seen. I wonder how much the gloves actually cost to make. What the margins are.

I tried this again at the new club with the same contact at WCG and no dice unfortunately.

WC is very responsive from what I can tell. Was awesome for those glove companies to do this, probably didnt cost them much given the sizes and being blems. In return they get new customers since most of these small companies really stand behind their product. Bigger clubs dont care about things like gloves, they just want kids to sign up - more the keeper coaches who get things done for the players. Our keeper coach swears by Joma, and he still plays. Lots of choices.
 
Always buy on discount is a mantra I apply to all the soccer gear I've bought over the years.
Best time of the year to buy is around Christmas. I was able to get a pair of top of the line Elite Gloves with customization, and a pair of practice gloves for $85 with free shipping. When Aviata clears out models or old models you can get really good deals if you find the correct size. I see solid gloves on there right now for $20-$30 bucks. Go to Dicks or a Soccer Store and try to find something good for under $100. wont happen unless you find the unicorn last chance closeout
 
So because of this board, I ordered Aviata gloves for my daughter replacing her West Coast gloves. Her WC gloves were worn down to the material in the center of the middle fingers but the rest of the gloves were okay after 4 months. I looked at the Aviata gloves and I saw there were seams across the fingers so I am hoping that will help prevent the wear down. She tried them last night and she thinks she will like them better because even with the finger savers in, she said they feel less restrictive. Having said that, the wear down on the middle fingers might be a sign of over using her middle fingers! I of course have been known to over use my middle fingers too! Hard habit to break!
 
TI wonder how much the gloves actually cost to make. What the margins are.

I can tell you what the "Brands" pay, but not how much an actual glove costs to manufacturer, but its not too far off the FOB pricing. In the world of soccer equipment most of the higher-end equipment is made in Sialkot, Pakistan (not China). This city in Pakistan is devoted to manufacturing soccer equipment. For OEM purchases of a few thousand pieces or more, a buyer will pay roughly $7-15 dollars per piece for a high-quality "professional" style custom branded 3-4mm German Latex goalkeeper glove set. Add in shipping/freight/customs/taxes/packaging; the landed ready to ship to the next level (distributor/retailer), cost will be somewhere around $15-$25 to the so-called manufacturer.

See, https://www.alibaba.com/trade/searc...=german+latex+foam+goalkeeping+4mm+&viewtype=

For companies like Nike, Reusch and Ulsport, they get the best deal because they buy massive quantities, at an FOB Pakistan of about $5 (before freight, import/export taxes, agent fees, etc.). But let's stick with $20 as the landed cost to make the math easy.
  1. Company Markup (100%). These companies want to make on average at least 2x, so will add in about $20 on the books of additional profit to cover marketing, sponsorship, etc.. Note, the lower priced products will have a lower profit margin (make is up in quantity) and the higher priced products have a higher profit margin (200% to 300%) (e.g. $180 gloves). Now the new price is $40 to the distributor.

  2. Distributor Markup (25% to 50% .25x to .5x), the distributor works on lower margins (makes it up in quantity) so they typically want at least a 25% to 50% margin, depending on if they are a stocking distributor or not, now the glove is about $50-$60 to the next level (retailer).

  3. Retail Markup is higher (100%/2x), the Retailer paid about $50-$60 and is going to markup the item to $100-$120. Online retailer will operate on lower margins/markups. (Example of Prices).
Independent / direct to consumer companies eliminate the distributor/retailer, but because they don't buy in the same quantities of the big brands, they pay a higher per piece cost. Typically $10 to $18 (depending on materials) from Pakistan, then they pay freight, packaging, etc. ($5 - $10), overhead ($10), so they may book the gloves somewhere around $25 to $30 at cost. Since they are the retailer as well (online), they will markup the gloves 2x to 3x for their profit margin, arriving at a price between $50-$80 for a similar quality glove that one would pay $120-$150 from Reaush or Ulsport (at retail).

So let's say your kid likes the UhlSport Fangmachine glove $140 Retail / Online Clearance for about $75. Buy a single pair HERE for $75, or 2,000 HERE for $5.

Caveat: If you are going to go into into the branded glove business, I suggest you contact M.BAANI first [your contact will be Basit Ali] before looking at NISHAN SPORTS or the smaller manufacturers-brokers. Many of the name brands use M.Baani for many of their styles: See, https://mbaani.trustpass.alibaba.com/productgrouplist-106788700-5/Sports_Products.html?isGallery=Y

Note: M.Baani may not actually make the gloves, but will outsource to the smaller manufacturers in town.

P.S. -- Shhhhhh, this is just between us.
 
P.S. -- Shhhhhh, this is just between us.
:D:D:D:D Your secrets are safe here!

Dude, you know law, US Soccer organizational structure, the nuances of "handling" fouls and offside, AND now ops management and the supply chain economics of sports equipment manufacturing in Pakistan! I don't know what sort of career that skill set qualifies you for, but I am seriously impressed.
 
:D:D:D:D Your secrets are safe here!

Dude, you know law, US Soccer organizational structure, the nuances of "handling" fouls and offside, AND now ops management and the supply chain economics of sports equipment manufacturing in Pakistan! I don't know what sort of career that skill set qualifies you for, but I am seriously impressed.

Neither do I ... maybe just a Cliff Clavin type character in some bar.
 
So because of this board, I ordered Aviata gloves for my daughter replacing her West Coast gloves. Her WC gloves were worn down to the material in the center of the middle fingers but the rest of the gloves were okay after 4 months. I looked at the Aviata gloves and I saw there were seams across the fingers so I am hoping that will help prevent the wear down. She tried them last night and she thinks she will like them better because even with the finger savers in, she said they feel less restrictive. Having said that, the wear down on the middle fingers might be a sign of over using her middle fingers! I of course have been known to over use my middle fingers too! Hard habit to break!
Depending on the cut your GK uses will depend on how the fingers will wear out..sooner or later. It seems the negative cut which doesn't really show the seams as much will wear faster. They give a better feel on smaller hands though. The hybrid cut my GK has been using on a pair of WC gloves seems to last longer. Just my observation. She does like either cut and in reality doesn't complain either way if I buy one style vs the other. The only thing she didn't like about one WC glove was the wrist wrap in the Spyder model. To get a good wrap she had to pull it too tight she said so I sent those back.
 
We normally use WC but Elite has a good deal and a good pair. Lasted as long as the West Coast gloves we normally get. The price is similar so I don't protest when my son picks the style/color he likes of a WC pair. Plus, he likes trying them on...
But this is a great deal: $55 for padded sliders AND a pair of gloves. Customer service was amazing too. I didn't like a pair we bought, gave a review and got a call from the owner the next day with a replacement pair in the mail. In my review, I even acknowledged that the latex may have torn easy because my son didn't get the gloves wet enough in a 100+ degree game... nonetheless, the guy said he would rather send me a pair then me have questions about the quality. Much respect.
https://elitesportspecial.com
 
Anyone have thoughts on how my daughter can try out some different gloves during practice? Mail me your old ones? ;) Tonight she will work with another keepers gloves, but we had to try on 9 pair of cleats before she found what she liked recently, so gloves could take a while.
 
Anyone have thoughts on how my daughter can try out some different gloves during practice? Mail me your old ones? ;) Tonight she will work with another keepers gloves, but we had to try on 9 pair of cleats before she found what she liked recently, so gloves could take a while.
Ha. My kid's old ones would be only slightly more effective than borrowing a pair of finger-less knit gloves from a hobo... And probably smell worse.
 
Ha. My kid's old ones would be only slightly more effective than borrowing a pair of finger-less knit gloves from a hobo... And probably smell worse.
Completely forgot about that smell. Yuck. Almost as bad as the cleats that get wedged underneath your seat and smell up the car while it sits out in the sun.
 
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