A Guide to the Soccer Bag

Pack your bags! Its time for Spring Soccer. Well almost, it's hard to believe that in just a few short weeks our little footballers will be out in the freezing cold sharpening their skills preparing for the coldest, wettest and quickest leg of our soccer year. SPRING SOCCER!

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If you are a veteran soccer parent then you know that Spring Soccer goes by fast, but the games drag on forever because you are cold and you are wet. But enough about you, this post is about your player and his dreaded bag. Have you looked in the bag? You've kicked the bag out of your way. You may have even picked it up and wondered why it is so heavy (that's the half full water bottles at the bottom). But today is the day you need to look inside.

Before the spring season is on top of you, I suggest you get on top of that soccer bag. Clean out the rolled up soccer socks and protein bar wrappers. Find that missing training jersey and wonder why your son has 3 shin guards, none that match in his bag? Turn it inside out and wipe it down, because the real fun of packing his bag is about to begin.

Soccer Bag Must Haves for the Spring

1. Trash Bags: At the bottom of your player's bag you need to put at least 3 trash bags.  Trash bags can be used for so many things and you will thank me later for all of the ways you find to use them but the main two reasons for having trash bags are for the muddy wet strip down in the back of your SUV before allowing your disgusting child in the main part of your vehicle and for protecting his bag and everything in it from getting wet as he waits on the sideline.

2. Extra Uniforms: I know it may have seemed like a waste of money in the fall and if you are on the end of your uniform cycle this may not be great advice but invest in an extra set of jerseys. 

Having an extra set will save you all kinds of heart-ache when looking for uniforms at the last minute and having an extra set in her bag during tournament weekends will come in very handy when you realize your hotel doesn't have a laundry room.

3. Gallon Zip Bags: Keep your uniforms

organized, clean and dry with gallon size plastic zip-seal bags. Pack your players full kit (top, bottom and socks) in the bags.  This is especially helpful for your older players that like to just shove everything in their bags and dig through like a tornado leaving destruction in their wake. You will know you sent your player off with everything they need and if they get rained on and your player leaves his bag open in the rain, his alternate (and extra) jerseys will stay dry.

4. Hat, Gloves and Hand Warmers: Take one of those plastic zip-seal  bags and stock it full of cold weather supplies, a beanie, field gloves and hand warmers for an emergency. Again, the plastic bag will keep it together and dry. Why you're at it, throw a small umbrella in there.

5. First Aid Kit and Athletic Tape: A first aid kit and athletic tape will go a long way.  Bandaids and alcohol wipes are always handy but athletic tape can be used for so many things from taping jerseys (whoops two players have the same jersey number?), buddy taping fingers or taping those shin guards in place.

6. Shoes and Shin Guards: Your bag probably has a special place for keeping her shoes separate from the rest of the items in her bag but if not, take one of the SWAG draw-string bags from one of her recent tournaments and use that for the stinky shin guards and soccer shoes. This will contain the mud and stink while keeping everything together and organized.

7. Emergency Funds: Secretly stick a $10 bill in the zip pocket, your player will inevitably run off with a friend or need an unplanned for snack in between games and you can avoid the scramble for cash by having this already tucked away.

Now that you have your player's bag all packed for the spring now you can check-out our post on how to be a super-hero Soccer Mom or Dad by packing your vehicle for a successful season.