12 January 2024 , 21:14
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Junior footballers across the UK are being banned from wearing the tiny shin pads worn by Premier League aces such as Jack Grealish over safety fears.
Parents have been told that young players can not wear ‘mini shin pads’ for matches because they do not offer ‘sufficient protection’. The informal ban comes just weeks after youngsters received the shin pads, branded the ‘world’s smallest’, as Christmas presents.
One club, Whitley Bay FC Junior in Tyneside, said the kit bag staples, which measure eight by five centimetres, would not be accepted on match days. In a statement on its Facebook page, the club said: “We have noticed a number of players have received the new mini shin pads for Christmas.
“Please be advised that the club does not accept these as sufficient protection and requires all players to wear full size shin pads for training and matches. Players without full size shin pads will not be allowed to participate. This decision has been taken for the safety of players.”
It comes after concerns were raised about player safety by coaches who said they have seen a trend of shin pads becoming much smaller in recent seasons. Manchester City star Grealish is famed for wearing child-sized shin pads, which he puts down to a superstition about wearing low socks he formed as youngster.
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But other Three Lions aces such as Harry Maguire and Dominic Calvert-Lewin have also been known to wear small shin pads. Everton striker Calvert-Lewin’s shin pads were so small on England duty that was mocked online for ‘shoving Nokia 3210s down his socks’.
Current FA guidelines state all shin pads must be ‘provide reasonable protection’ and be ‘covered entirely by the socks’, but don’t specify a minimum requirement for size. And the International Football Association Board (IFAB) said players - and parents or guardians of youth players - must take responsibility for their own safety on the pitch.
Matthew Whitaker, whose 10-year-old son Theo idolises Grealish so much he has the same haircut, said he’d never let his lad wear the teeny pads. Matthew, of St Just in Penwith, Cornwall, said: “He wears what I call full-sized shinpads, they protect most of his shin.
Grealish's shin pads pictured before the Club World Cup final (Getty Images)“He used to wear ones that went from his knee to his ankle and even had the ankle protector sock at the bottom. I would never let him wear those tiny ones, they’re not safe for any level of football.
“I always make sure his boots are tied and he’s got his shin pads on before a game. My daughter has just started playing football at school, she’s five and has the tiniest shin pads ever but that’s because she’s got tiny legs.
“I actually think they’re the same size as what Grealish wears, they’re that small. I’m surprised he’s not asked if he could wear them, but he’s never questioned it. He must have been kicked in the shins too many times.”
Harry Maguire and Dominic Calvert-Lewin also wear very small shin pads (MARTIN RICKETT/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)However, ex-pro Matt Doughty, who now coaches in Everton’s junior section, said he had no issue with the teeny shin pads as a parent or a coach. Matt suffered two cruciate ligament injuries during his career that took in stints at Chester City, Rochdale, Halifax and Altrincham.
He also snapped his achilles and had five operations on his knee during his time as a player, that also saw him star for hometown team Warrington Town in their 2014 FA Cup giant killing over Exeter. Matt, 42, said his shinpads didn’t stop any of those injuries so he has no issue with son 13-year-old son Jake - now on Everton’s books - with wearing tiny shin pads.
He said: “As a parent, as long as my son is comfortable, I’m happy. And as a coach, as long as the parents are aware what their child is wearing and all parties are happy then it’s all good from my point of view. In my experience, injuries will come no matter what size or how strong your shin pad is.”