Football Equipment Buying Guide

Football is a contact sport; players get hurt, sometimes seriously. Modern football gear is designed using the best engineering and materials available, and when you use the right football helmets, football pads and other football equipment, you can reduce -- although not eliminate -- the chances of injury.

Footballs

Professional and collegiate footballs are about 11 inches long by 22 inches in circumference. Smaller balls are available for youth play and mini-footballs are popular for pick-up games among friends. If you're buying for youth football leagues, check with the league to see if they have size requirements.

A brown leather outer skin is required for collegiate and pro play, though more colorful models are available for other uses, like football memorabilia. Football skins are usually given a pebble-grain texture for better grip and may feature the manufacturer's name, league or conference logos and other decoration like the signatures of legendary players. Footballs are called "pigskins" because pig leather was commonly used in early models. Most of today's leathers are steer hide.

Full-grain is real leather with minimal processing; "full-grain" means full-depth of skin. Full-grain makes the best, the most durable and the most expensive footballs.
Top-grain is from the outer skin layers that produce leathers almost as good as full-grain; they make good discount footballs, suitable for practice or casual games.
Synthetic footballs, like plastic or rubber footballs, are great for practice and children (some are even water-resistant for use in the pool). Cheap footballs are reasonably durable, but rubber balls don't handle as well as leather.
Foam footballs are the best for a quick, pick-up game on the street or the backyard. Foam footballs are very inexpensive, fairly durable and tend not to break what it hits -- an especially attractive feature when young players are among the things getting hit!

A polyurethane or rubber inner bladder keeps the football almost airtight and is held in place with polyvinyl chloride or leather laces. Before the game, footballs are inflated to 12.5 to 13.5 pounds per square inch, giving the pigskin a weight of 14 to 15 ounces. Tough as they are, footballs take a pretty good pounding during games; the NFL requires teams to have 24 footballs available for indoor games and 36 footballs available for outdoor games, plus 12 brand-new footballs, sealed in manufacturer boxes, for the kickers. Collegiate and youth leagues are less stringent.

Football helmets

When thinking about a new helmet, the first thing to look for is the NOCSAE seal. The National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment is a voluntary organization that sets standards for sports equipment. Sports gear with the seal represents the best technology available at the time the football helmet was manufactured. Second, get a football helmet that fits properly; using a cloth tape, measure around the player's head about one inch above the eyebrows. (When wearing the helmet, position it so the front edge is approximately one inch above the eyebrows.) Exact football helmet sizes vary by manufacturer, but they generally follow hat sizes:

Some manufacturers recommend mid-length to short hair cuts for the season. Whatever haircut you choose, pick it and keep it; growing your hair out may make your football helmet fit less comfortably. You may see cheap football helmets for sale, but be wary of these. You wouldn't want to risk your playing career, or your health, on a sub-par helmet.

Youth football helmets are smaller than adult football helmets, of course, but there is very little difference in materials or structure. The best helmets are constructed with polycarbonate shells, a nearly indestructible material, unlike what the helmet contains. Discount football helmets are constructed of other plastics, such as ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene), which is noted for its shock absorbance. These helmets are less expensive but still very durable. Modern football helmets also feature a more spherical design to better deflect hits.

Helmet Padding

EVA (ethylene vinyl acetate) and TPU (thermoplastic urethane cushioning) are among the common foam pads; these liners give the football helmet a snug fit and cushion the head against shocks. Helmets generally have several of these 1/2- to 1-inch thick pads placed strategically around the head, to allow a little air circulation for comfort and to reduce weight over a single head-covering cushion. Liners are most often sold with the football helmet, and replacement sets are available for inevitable wear. New air cushioning systems are available which claim even greater protection and a closer to custom fit, since they use inflatable cushions, although these may come with a larger price tag.

Facemasks

A wide range of facemasks are available, mostly based on the player's position. The so-called "skill positions," like quarterback and wide receiver, need good visibility, while linemen have more trouble with eye-poking accidents. Football helmets are sold with and without attached masks, depending on the manufacturer's preference. Either way, many manufacturers use letter codes to describe the protection design:

OPO: Oral protection only
JOP: Jaw and oral protection
NOPO: Nose and oral protection only
NJOP: Nose, jaw and oral protection
EGOP: Eye glass and oral protection

Additional facemask abbreviations may include:

R: Reinforced, referring to the bar at the top of the facemask
DW: Double wire configuration adds stability and strength, minimizes the chance of horizontal spreading (great for linemen who end up in a dog-pile) and increases the protection from fingers.
SW: Single wire configuration cuts out one horizontal bar, adding field of view.
UB: U-Bar or bull ring also keeps fingers and other body parts from hitting your nose.
SK: Skill position players are masks that are longer overall and have side bars angled back for maximum peripheral vision.

Coated carbon steel is the material of choice; stainless steel is the lightweight alternative. Both offer excellent protection. Various coatings are used to prevent rust and nicks. Whatever face mask you choose, consider adding eye shields. Something like a cross between clip-on sunglasses and industrial goggles, eye shields are becoming a popular football helmet accessory. Several types are available, from clear to smoky, which players can switch around depending on conditions.

Chin straps

Chin straps help keep your football helmet attached to your head, so wear them snugly. Chin straps also afford a bit of shelter for the chin. Football helmets are sold with chin straps, but replacements and differing styles for a more personal fit are available.

Skull cap

Many players have recently taken to wearing skull caps under their football helmets. The moisture-wicking material in these little hats helps keep the head drier and cooler.

Football pads

Shoulder pads

These are the most important pads, and the first consideration is size. They need to fit snugly but comfortably. To be measured for adult football pads, stand up straight with your arms at your sides and have someone measure the width across your back from shoulder tip to shoulder tip, rounding up to whole inches. For youth football pads, do the same but consider chest size and weight as well:

Quarterbacks, defensive backs, tailbacks, punters and place kickers: Skill position players generally want flexible, lightweight football pads that don't limit head movement or vision. If the QB also runs, huskier pads are a good plan because he's giving the defenders more chances to pile on him.

Wide receivers: Very much like other skill position pads, receivers use the lightest pads to allow them additional speed.

Fullbacks, linebackers and tight-ends: Many prefer football pads with a plated front rather than laces; these need less adjustment between plays.

Linemen: The guys who get shoulder to shoulder with the opposition use the heaviest pads because they get the most hits. Many linemen also want a streamlined football pad (with fewer flaps and epaulets that other players can grab) and vinyl buckles (which hold the pads more securely).

There is some debate on elastic straps versus vinyl buckles. The downside of elastic straps is durability; they need to be adjusted and replaced much more frequently because they get stretched out. The elastic upside is its flexibility; these straps expand and contract more easily than vinyl buckles as you breathe.

Collar and neck pads

These expand football protection by preventing whiplash or supplying an added shield to collarbones. Neck pads can be a simple tube of foam, called neck rolls, or they can be a new, more extensive pad system called the "cowboy" collar, which covers the neck and collarbone. Available in adult and youth sizes, look for these football pads to grow in popularity.

Rib vests

Fitted by chest size, rib protectors extend below shoulder pads for those who want extra armor. Some players even protect sore ribs during practices, when they aren't wearing other football pads, to speed healing and prevent additional bruises. A very light rib vest of moisture-wicking fabric helps keep players cool, though it does not add significant football protection. High-density foam football pads offer a good combination of protection and flexibility, while hard shell football pads sacrifice some comfort for added protection.

Lower body and leg pads

Like most things, you can save money with football pad sets. Three-piece sets have two hip pads and one tail pad; seven-piece sets have two hip pads, one tail pad, two thigh pads and two knee pads. Alternately, you can buy individual football pads and get what you need for your specific needs.

Hip and tailbone pads are a great idea for every player, but they are essentials for those who get hit a lot: quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers. These extend outside the pants, so many are sold in colors complementing team colors. Usually sold as three-pad sets, you will also need a "girdle" to hold them in place.

Pants are designed to accept thigh pads and knee pads because every player can benefit from the protection of pads. These come in two varieties: Foam pads fit better because they are soft enough to mold to the individual knees, while vinyl dipped pads are thicker, offering better protection with a little less flexibility.

Arm protection

Football pads for the arms range from thin, elastic sleeves to full pads. Some extend from wrist to elbow; others are designed to cover the elbow. Football gloves are fast becoming an essential in many players' minds. "Tact gloves" are lightweight and flexible but have rubber on the palms to increase grip for receivers. Linemen need more padding on the gloves, in case their hands end up in the face mask or under the cleats of another player.