What You Can Wear Under Soccer Goalkeeper Gloves

Some players might wonder if it’s possible to wear something underneath their soccer goalkeeper gloves. Some might already be wearing something and discovering it’s either affecting their ability to play poorly or properly. Others may have noticed that professionals will sometimes have tape or bandages on their hands and wonder if they should too. 

There’s no strict answer on whether to wear or not to wear a base layer of some sort under soccer goalkeeper gloves. Let’s examine the types of things you can wear underneath goalie gloves, their pros and cons, and when one option would work better than another. The bottom line is that it all depends on the player and their gloves.

Why some players wear something under their gloves

Protection

Most players are coming at this in terms of decreasing their risk of injury. For example, if there’s excess room in the glove, the fingers are more likely to move and bend when contact is made, which can lead to injury. More cushion and less space increase the safety of the fingers because there’s less motion they can take and more padding to absorb the impact.

Sentimentality

Although fewer players might do this, some want to keep wearing things that are important to them, like jewelry (wedding bands, for example). This can have negative effects, though. However, there are some solutions to this in the jewelry section below.

Comfort

Players might also prefer wearing some sort of base layer in their soccer goalkeeper gloves for their comfort so they’re not distracted during the game or bothered by some sort of affliction afterward. This can include sensitive skin that gets irritated and itchy while playing, the need to wick away sweat in-game, or simply wanting to encase their hands and fingers in something before getting sweat and dirt onto the inside of their gloves.

Soccer goalkeeper gloves layering options

Bandages/tape

Bandages and tape are usually the methods used to avoid injury or protect against an injury that’s already happened. It’s used to offer extra protection, support, and padding. Fingers and their joints can be fragile, especially considering they’re usually at the forefront of stopping a powerfully kicked ball.

Tape is useful when the glove doesn’t have finger spines for protection, but it’s less useful when wearing soccer goalie gloves with finger protection, which can be found here. The other impact that the glove has on the need for tape is the fit. 

If you wear a properly fitting soccer goalkeeper glove, it will offer a protective second skin without the risks of your fingers bouncing around inside the glove. So before using bandages and tape, ensure the glove fits properly and uses protective finger spines. Then the use of tape will be more effective.

If tape is still a necessity, it should be done thoughtfully. Don’t tape aimlessly, restricting the movement of your fingers and thus your ability to play. Tape sparingly around the fragile parts of the fingers, (the tips and joints) but not so much that it affects how you can bend them. Make sure you’re using tape that won’t start lacking when it meets sweat because that’s bound to happen. 

Lastly, consider the thickness of the tape. While it can offer support, you need to find the middle ground between support and bulk. You won’t need as much if you’re using thick tape. You might need a bit more if you’re using a thinner tape.

Jewelry

Jewelry is likely to fall under either the sentimentality category or the health category. Sentimental pieces can include wedding bands, engagement rings, and memorabilia. Health-related pieces can include medical bracelets that say if the player is allergic to something. For example, penicillin. 

Either way, there are certain reasons a player will insist on wearing some kind of jewelry under their soccer goalkeeper gloves. The problem here is that it can either injure the player or wear away at the inside of the glove.

Where the glove is concerned, jewelry will either rip at the material or, depending on the material of the jewelry, affect how the ball is handled. Metal, wood, and plastic can affect the trajectory of the ball if it were to hit the piece of jewelry. It can affect the way the goalie can make a save.

Anything that isn’t smooth will destroy the inside of the glove, drastically decreasing its lifespan. If jewelry is hit through the glove, it can also injure the player with scrapes or fractures, and, worst case, if it’s something sentimental, it can break the piece of jewelry.

Removing all jewelry is the first solution, but if that isn’t an option, consider replacing your jewelry with a sport-safe option so whether it’s of sentimental or medical value, there’s still a version of it on your person. Consider switching out the pieces with something rubber or with thread. That way it will be far less likely to cause damage to you and the gloves, or affect gameplay.

Base layer gloves

There are many fabric options for base layer gloves: spandex, nylon, cloth, cotton, and more. They can also serve different purposes. Some will protect the skin from infection, irritation, or allergies to certain materials. Some will help during colder games, and some will simply help to give the goalkeeper extra support and protection. 

Base layer gloves have significantly lower negative impacts than jewelry does. Really, the only negative would be if the glove fits poorly and affects how the actual soccer goalkeeper glove fits.

Extra gloves can absorb sweat, which is beneficial for control in hot games. If the inside of the soccer glove is sliding around, the goalie won’t be able to make clean catches. They also provide cushioning, which can help with impact absorption. 

They help prevent superficial injuries like chafing, eczema, and blisters which could distract the goalie and affect their confidence in making a save. Ultimately, base layer gloves can serve many purposes under a soccer goalie glove so long as the material and sizing work for the player using it.

Nothing

Many goalies will also opt to wear nothing under their soccer goalie gloves with finger protection, especially when they’ve found a quality pair of gloves that checks all of their boxes to begin with.

If you don’t understand how to properly leverage other under-the-glove options, wearing nothing is the better option. It doesn’t affect the glove or your ability to play unless you’re already injured or aren’t using the correct gloves for your hand. Storelli creates gloves meant to work for you without the need to add anything to them, so if you find a pair that fits properly and works with your play style, that should be enough.

Looking for a pair of gloves that will suit all your needs without forcing you to wear something else? Check out the glove options at Storelli. They’re made for goalies that play hard and need protection.