My gloves have worn down quicker than expected

Keepers Ask: "I haven't used my gloves much and they are already starting to wear down"

It is important to understand the nature of goalkeeper gloves and latex palms before use. Gloves should be viewed as a consumable that need replacing multiple times a year.

What you need to know

1. Latex is meant to degrade and wear down
2. It can happen from the very first use, regardless of price or specification
3. Your glove will perform until there is no latex left
4. Latex wear is not a sign of a fault or "bad" product
5. Latex will wear quicker on hard surfaces (artificial, dry summers, end of season pitches)
6. How long a glove lasts is not an indication of latex quality

The best comparison that can be made is that glove latex is like a motor-racing tyre. Soft, grippy and will naturally wear away and blister until the grip goes. However there are "harder" tyres available, which will provide worse grip and performance but will wear down slower.

Our gloves are used by pros in the Premier League, so they have to be of the highest quality and offer the best possible grip in all conditions. Latex is a very soft natural product that is subject to wear and abrasion over time, which cannot be avoided.

How long should a pair of gloves actually last?

This is very tricky and a bit of a "how long is a piece of string?" question.

• A pro will go through 30+ pairs a season
• The average keeper should expect to use 3-5 pairs
• Young developing keepers can churn through gloves

How long they last depends on many factors, every keeper's experience will be different depending on:

• Age of keeper
• Technique
• Playing surface
• How they were prepared
• How often they train and play
• If proper glove care is followed
• Volume of saves and how busy your defence is making you!
• Luck

It is possible to own two of the exact same pair of gloves, and see one pair last one month while the other lasts four months.

Real World Examples

This is not a faulty glove

We often have images sent in like these from parents or younger keepers, saying that they are ruined or would like a replacement pair. We appreciate it can be hard to hear for the first time (especially for Mum & Dad paying for them!) but this pair looks completely normal, is in great condition and has a tonne of life in it - it would not be eligible for for a refund. 

"My son's gloves ripped after one warm up"

Younger keepers will get through gloves a lot quicker than experienced/older keepers, due to the nature of still learning their technique. Latex is soft and if they are landing on their palms and grinding a hard surface, it will naturally wear away. Particularly if proper glove prep and care has not been followed. 

Unfortunately we cannot be responsible for naturally caused abrasion. This is due to personal use and these gloves would not be eligible for a refund and still have plenty of life in them.

A thread from one of the worlds biggest goalkeeping retailers

Below is an example of a large retailer sharing the same information and policy, which is standard throughout goalkeeping.

How can I make the gloves last longer?

Visit our dedicated article here for tips on how to get the most bang for your buck.