If you’ve been a loyal fan of ours or even glanced at our product selection, you’ve probably asked: “Why don’t these guys sell shin guards?” After all, we carry everything from headgear to grip socks, but no pads.
Here’s the good news—we’re here to announce the launching of our new shin pad line, the missing piece of our soccer protective arsenal. We crafted them so they don’t look like bulky wing-tips, or teeny-tiny sheaths that could get lost in your socks, and fit perfectly with your Storelli Leg Guards.
Here’s a look at our new shin pads, what went into them, and why you should get a pair.
A close up view
One of our shin pads’ standout features is its design—you’ll notice it has right/left asymmetry. The reason for this shape is two-fold.
First, it lets you properly secure the pads into your socks (especially if they have pockets), so that they don’t come loose. You’ll notice one corner on each pad is wedged, so it can lock into your shin socks better. That means you won’t get distracted or have to waste trying to fix shin pads sliding down your leg while playing.
Second, it only covers the areas that need protection. We’ve all seen (and maybe worn) shin pads that make your socks look like they’re stuffed with wrapping paper—not cool. Worse, they feel a bit heavy, as if you’re wearing weights on your legs.
The design of our new shin pads only cover the bone (and surrounding) tissue that could get injured—nowhere else. That design ensures the pads are lightweight, and barely noticeable. As a bonus, their make provides some moisture-wicking benefits, and keeps your shins from getting too sweaty.
The polyethylene shell and molded EVA foam in the pads ensures that they can bend and flex, so they maintain a snug fit on your leg no matter what comes their way. More importantly, the foam absorbs and disperses impact forces, so you can sustain kicks, tackles and other collisions and feel minimal contact.
Sizing and availability
The pads will come in two styles and sizes, one aimed at youth and another, at older youth/adult players.
The youth-focused style features built-in ankle protection, both inside and out, and won’t need to fit in Leg Guards. We’ll be shipping them out in two camouflage colors, blue and pink, and in two sizes.
We designed these for the youngest footy players, because we know fitting them into shin pads can feel like going to war at times.
Our second shin pads, the ones for older youth and adults, are meant to be stowed away in a sock or Leg Guard. They come in three sizes, small, medium, and large, and two colors—black (solid or camouflage), and camouflage grey. These pads are smaller, which we know lots of older players prefer, but not tiny like what Jack Grealish or Naby Keïta would wear.
Why we finally launched a line of shin pads
So where did the inspiration to design shin pads suddenly come from?
Definitely not from thin air.
We had our eyes on the pitch and ear to the community for years, looking and listening to what footy players needed. Our Leg Guards are among our top-sellers, and tens of thousands of players have worn them for protection and comfort.
Naturally, players wondered where the shin guards were, so we responded to the call. Of course, we have the perfectionist bug here at Storelli, so we never rush our product development.
There’s a motto in the tech world — “move fast and break things” — which loosely means, release now, fix later. That’s cool for hardcore tech bros, but not for us—we’d rather give you a superior, reliable product from the get-go.
With that said, we began intensive development in Fall 2022. Our goal was to create shin guards that offered complete protection to the lower leg, without restricting movement or limiting performance. For those of you who wondered “why now”, that’s our answer.
How Do Our Shin Pads Differ From Everyone Else?
Lots of soccer shin pads are just cumbersome.
You’ve got to deal with straps, secure them with tape, adjust your socks multiple times and more. And if they’re easy to secure, they’re hard to ignore due to their cumbersome design.
With our shin pads, you get a minimalist design with maximum protection. You slip them on or in your sock pockets, and you’re good to play. And because they’re slim and lightweight, they won't distract you from the game. There’s no need to think about them until it’s time to remove them.
We’re sure you’d agree with us that the best protective gear barely feels like it’s there.
