There are a lot of reasons why children are encouraged to wear appropriate sportswear when taking part in community and school-based sports activity sessions. It’s about having pride in your team and enjoying a sense of ‘belonging’.

However, there are also far more practical advantages to buying sportswear for children. This article looks at those advantages, what to look for in sportswear purchases, and the basic kit items children need to take part in sports sessions comfortably.

Team unity and identity

The use of a uniform football kit began around 1870. It linked the first-ever football teams in Britain to the schools and alternative sports clubs that founded them.

Though ‘uniform’ is probably a strong word for what they wore then. The earliest sports teams were rather haphazard in their active wear. Often the only way to tell opponents apart was the colour of their….caps!

Since then, wearing your team’s ‘colours’ and emblem has become an important part of being a fan, as well as being a player or staff member. Which is one of the reasons that sportswear is such a big business.

However, sportswear is also very popular because it is comfortable, breathable and practical. It enables free movement without friction. As well as being easy for busy parents to wash and dry.

Modern football club ‘strips’ and other sportswear items are also now highly ‘fashionable’ too. The top designers are sometimes used to create football shirts that look good for any occasion.

Hands up if your child insists on a football shirt for school non-uniform day!

Children’s sportswear manufactured to last

Of course, many parents are less worried about fashion, and more focused on activewear that serves a purpose and represents value for money.

Let’s face it, children give their clothing a ‘rough ride’ at the best of times. So, sportswear certainly needs to be robust and hard-wearing. Performance over style!

That can mean investing in suppliers who adhere to the best design and manufacturing standards, rather than ‘cheap’ sportswear manufactured overseas. Those types of activewear items can fade, bobble, rip or split at the seams too easily.

If you look for good quality, stretchable sports fabrics, they also block sunlight and offer you sports clothing that’s quick to dry.

Buying sports kit that’s slightly too big makes sense. It allows more room for freedom of movement, but also plenty of wear before they grow out of their shorts and shirts.

The best sports kit for kids

What is a ‘shopping list of kit essentials’ for children who enjoy sports?

Whichever school or community sports activity your child signs up for (football, rugby, multi-sports etc), a basic kit package includes a shirt, shorts and socks. Many of our parents also choose to buy a spare set of socks, as that is usually the first thing that gets lost.

(Though we do encourage parents to put their child’s name on the labels of everything, of course.)

As part of our dedication to supporting good health in our young players, we do stay outdoors as much as possible. This makes both a tracksuit and raincoat a wise buy, for Little Foxes Club participants.

Sports outerwear items designed to keep your child warm and protected in colder or wetter weather are also great to slip on after an enthusiastic sports session. This helps to manage body temperature, and to protect your car seats from muddy shorts and shirts!

Club-branded woolly hats are also a great idea. Not least as some kids love to wear these all over the place, to show off their allegiance.

The same applies to sports-branded water bottles. We encourage participants to keep hydrated during sessions, but they are also great for water bottles to use at school or on family outings.

It’s also highly recommended that you buy a good quality boot bag and rucksack to keep your child’s items organised.

Finally, by wearing sportswear purchased from us, your children are reflecting one of the most important parts of our ethos – inclusivity. All our children wear similar sportswear helps to generate a feeling of being equal, as well as showing that all-important team spirit.

We are developing new sportswear and accessories all the time, to help our children with practical issues, and also to stimulate team pride.