Goalkeeper gloves before the mid-1990s had a textured palm and simple designs that did the job without much fanfare. By 2011, latex-foam materials and designs had bought high technology to the soccer goalkeeper's wardrobe. Puffy and with fancy inset panels and colorful patterns, goalie gloves appeared suitable for a stylish moon suit. With even amateur shots capable of zinging in at 70 mph, hand protection trumps style, but you can have both in contemporary goalkeeper gloves.
Finger Protection or Fingersaves
Goalkeeper gloves feature splines, either built-in or removable via a zippered opening, to protect the fingers from being bent back. These also protect the backs of the fingers from injury from kicks. Nike's Spyne Pro, worn by U.S. goalkeepers Tim Howard and Hope Solo, falls in this category, as does Adidas' Fingersave gloves worn by Edwin Van Der Sar before he retired from Manchester United. Other manufacturers of finger saves include Brine, Reusch and Sondico. An additional safety feature is the full-length palm, which extends past the base of the hand to the wrist.
Field Surface
Uhlsport offers choices depending on field surface. For example, its Ergonomic glove features a palm of abrasion-resistant latex, wraparound wrist fastener and a backhand, which as the name suggests covers the back of the hand, of latex for indoor or artificial turf applications. The Ergonomic comes in a Hard Ground version for artificial turf and a Soft for regular fields.
Wet or Cold Performance
If you have the budget, you can buy goalie gloves specific to wet weather. Uhlsport offers the Akkurat Aquasoft glove with elastic finger gussets, a palm with multiple segments and a gray, orange and Pacific blue color scheme to honor the octopus. Nike's entry in this category is the Confidence glove, while Reusch offers the Raptor Pro and Serie A. Wet performance gloves feature Acqua latex in the palm, while other latex styles including SuperSoft, Mega Grip and Giga Grip, each designed with a slightly different balance of grip versus cushioning. Selsport produces a glove for cold conditions.
Games vs. Practice
Given the cost of high-end goalie gloves, it makes sense to invest in separate pairs for training and matches, to save wear and tear on your most expensive gloves. The big glove makers, including Rinat, Brine, Uhlsport, Nike and Reusch, offer training gloves in the $20 to $45 range for adults as of time of publication, with youth gloves as low as $13, as of 2011. Better-made match gloves, by companies including Selsport, Puma and HO, start at $40 for youth and $50 to $140 for adults.
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