Goalkeeper glove

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A goalkeeper glove is a unique type of glove, commonly worn by association football goalkeepers, designed to provide better grip on the ball, protection from quickly moving shots and, in some cases, provide added warmth for a goalkeeper in cold weather. The palms of a goalkeeper's gloves are naturally the most important parts as they are what is used to catch the football. Today, the palms of most goalkeeper gloves are made of latex foam.

A goalkeeper glove.

1 History
2 Major manufacturers
3 Choosing Goalkeeper gloves
4 Glove Cuts
5 See also
6 References

[edit] History

The first reported use of goalkeeping gloves came in 1952 in an Airdrie vs Celtic game. Before the 1960s, it was uncommon for goalkeepers to wear gloves except under very poor weather conditions, when they were just used for warmth. The use of gloves designed for grip steadily became more popular into the 1980s, by which time most professionals had adopted the use of gloves. In the late 1990s, gloves offering protection from hyperextension of the fingers became available and had soon become a popular type of glove. Finger saves/finger protection gloves are good to stop your fingers bending back too far and preventing pain if being stamped on.

[edit] Major manufacturers

Here are the major Goalkeeper Glove Manufactures:

Nike
Adidas
Uhlsport
Reusch
Puma
Sells Goalkeeping Products
Selsport
Kaliaaer
Lotto
WGK
Ho
Reebok
Mitre
Umbro
One Glove
Ann Summers

[edit] Choosing Goalkeeper gloves

There are a lot of types of goalkeeper gloves and you should choose them by size, playing style, ground type, match conditions and playing level (professional/amateur/recreational).

[edit] Glove Cuts

[edit] Flat Palm

Flat palm is a very popular cut of glove. Mainly used by European Goalkeepers, the flat palm involves the glove being made up of 2 pieces of latex (one for the palm and the other for the backhand). Inbetween the latex on the fingers, there are finger gussets which are normally made of a sweat transporting fabric. Popular Flat Palm gloves include the Adidas Pro Response, Puma Exec King, Lotto G-force and the Sells Guard range.

[edit] Roll Finger/Gunn Cut

The Roll Finger, also known as the gunn cut, is a glove cut that has only recently become popular. It is widely used by British goalkeepers and is reknowned for its grip and 'feel' of the ball. It also has a tighter fit on the hand. The glove is again constructed with 2 pieces of latex. But instead of having finger gussets, the palm is wrapped arround the the front of the finger and sewn to the latex.It gives the finger a rolled look, hence the name roll finger. Popular roll fingers include the Nike Total90 Gunn Cut, Adidas Fingertip, Sells Wrap range and the Ho Mega Pro Roll.

[edit] Negative Cut

The Negative cut is very similar to a flat palm, the only difference is that all of the stitchwork is inside of the glove. This gives it a closer fit to the hand and means a cleaner surface for ball contact. Popular Negative cuts include the Reusch Liga, Reusch Bundesliga and the Puma Exec King Negative.