Okay, let me tell you how picking kids’ football kits went down this season. Seriously thought it’d be simple, just grab some shirts, right? Boy, was I wrong.
The Plan (or So I Thought)
Started easy. Coach email says “New kits this year.” Figured I’d just walk into BigSportsStore, point at a rack, done. Saved myself a coffee, drove over feeling pretty clever.
Reality Hits Like a Bad Tackle
Get there and suddenly… wall of jerseys. All different, all shouting “Pick me!” Prices jumping around like crazy too.
- Fit Nightmare: Grabbed a size “Youth Medium.” Kid tries it. Arms too short, belly hangs out. Size up? Looks like a damn dress. Turns out “Club Cut” is trim, “Regular Cut” is boxy… who knew?
- Material Mystery: Felt a cheap one – like stiff paper. Manager says “Basic Polyester.” Sounded okay until he says better ones are “Moisture-Wicking Blends.” Price tag doubles instantly.
- Color Chaos: Coach said “Blue and white.” Easy. Until the sales guy holds up three blues: “Royal? Azure? Midnight?” Shows whites: “Bright? Pearl? Cream?” Need a bloody artist over here.
- Extra Garbage: Then he starts: “Need matching socks? Shorts?” “Embroidered logo extra €5 per shirt.” “Want names on the back?” My wallet started sweating.
Suddenly “point and grab” felt dumb. Went home empty-handed, annoyed. Needed coffee and cake after that.
The Actual Doing
Right. Lesson learned. Time to adult.
- Measured the Blighters: Made every kid on the team stand still for five minutes (hardest part). Got actual chest sizes, heights.
- Called the Coach: “Mate, what shade of blue EXACTLY? Pictures? Last year’s jersey?” Got specifics. “Royal blue, bright white.”
- Online Digging: Skipped BigSportsStore. Found actual teamwear sites. Filtered: Royal Blue, Breathable Fabric, Youth Sizes.
- Samples are King: Spent €15 getting sample swatches in two fabrics. Felt them, stretched them, held them up to light. One felt plasticky, cheap. The other? Softer, better stretch. Worth the €15 a thousand times.
- The Haggle (Sort Of): Phoned the supplier. “Look, need 20 kits. Swatches look good. Any bulk discount?” Managed to knock off €3 a shirt. Felt like a boss. Skipped the embroidery (€100 saved!). Plain is fine.
What Actually Happened
Waited two weeks. Boxes arrived. Felt like Christmas morning, but scary. Opened one… colour good! Material felt like the good sample. Biggest fear? Sizes.
Had the kids try them on quickly before training. Held my breath… Kid #1: “Fits good.” Kid #2: “Comfy.” No “dresses,” no belly shirts. Even the tricky gangly kid nodded okay. Nearly cried with relief. Coach gave a thumbs up.
Saw the invoice later. Okay, €35 per kit (shirt, shorts, socks). Not €20 like I dreamed. But compared to the cheap stiff ones? Way better value. They looked like a proper team walking out. And seeing them run around, not looking like stiff robots or drowning in fabric? Priceless. Kid didn’t complain about itchy sweat once. Bonus.
Funny side note: Manager at BigSportsStore called me later. “Ready to order those kits, Mr. Johnson?” Told him “All sorted mate, thanks.” He sounded surprised. The silence was sweet.
Big takeaway? Don’t wing kids’ kits. Measure. Get samples. Talk to suppliers. Worth every extra minute and euro. Next time? Piece of cake. (Still need the actual cake though).