With Christmas approaching fast and shopping still to do, let’s have a look at some gift ideas for boy’s.
So they have all the usual stuff, xbox, playstation etc.
How about getting them outside, with one of our Samba football goals. We have the complete range in stock at The Soccer Store from 5 x 4ft right up to 16 x 7ft. Samba are an established UK manufacturer and really do supply a quality product. These are the same goals as used by pro and amateur football clubs around the UK. The Soccer Store supply a full no quibble 1 year guarantee with the goals, although we are confident that they will last a lot longer than that.
As well as the goals, we stock football training equipment, match day equipment and a range of Mitre Footballs.

My 11 year old boy is in a confused state. He just wants to play his game but he has managers, coaches and parents on his back telling him not to do this, not to do that. He asks me what I think he should do, my answer is to just go out and enjoy yourself.
Probably a familiar situation, but why can’t we just let the kids play football in a playground fashion. Of course they need some coaching now and then but the constant barrage does them no good at all. The game is controlled by adults, coaches who think they are the next England manager, parents who think that their son is the next David Beckham.
Too much emphasis is placed on winning, kids are left on the bench just because the team is trying to get a result.
Kids are not allowed to express themselves, the excitement goes out of football.
Parents stand back, watch and encourage. Set up a football crowd control barrier 10 foot from the touchline and don’t go beyond it.
Coaches, relax, let the kid enjoy their football, winning isn’t everything.

The Soccer Store

Samba Goals - Conversion Kits
Did you know that you can convert your Samba goal to the next size up with the Samba conversion kits.
The sizes available are:
8 x 4 to 8 x 6 conversion kit.
8 x 4 to 12 x 6 conversion kit
8 x 6 to 12 x 6 conversion kit
12 x 6 steel corners to 16 x 7 conversion kit
12 x 6 steel corners to Rugby Posts
One point to note is that to convert to a 16 x7 goal or the Rugby Posts you will need a 12 x 6 goal with steel corners.
All of the above kits are available from The Soccer Store

As well as our standard corner poles and flags which retail at £4.95 each we have the Diamond Pro Quality Corner Poles and Flags.
These come supplied in a set of 4 and are supplied with a carry bag. The poles have a housing which is positioned permanently in the ground. The poles themselves are spring loaded at the bottom, they slide in the housing up to the bottom of the spring section. When a player hits the post it will bend over at ground level, returning back to its original position after impact.
The poles are heavy duty and come with a standard orange coloured flag.
They are available for £45 a set from The Soccer Store.

What size football goals do I need we hear you say!
Good question. We sell quite a range of goals at The Soccer Store and it can seem quite confusing when trying to choose a goal.
Let us start with football clubs and schools.
For 7-a-side football, which is often called mini soccer and played by children from under 7 years old to under 11 years old you will need a 12 x 6 goal. If you are intending to use the goal for league use then you should opt for the Samba 12 x 6 match goal as this complies to the latest FA recommendations.
For the 9-a-side game you will need the 16 x 7 goal. Again if you are using the goal for league use you should go for the Samba 16 x 7 match goal
For garden use either a 5 x 4, 6 x 4 or 8 x 4 goal will suit children up to the age of 7.
For children over the age of 7 the 8 x 4, 8 x 6, 12 x 6 or 16 x 7 goals are recommended. Of course the size of these football goals will depend upon how much space you have and how much of it you want to devote to a football pitch!
If you are still unsure give us a call at The Soccer Store on 01606 835050 and we will be able to advise you more.

Other sizes of football goals that you may need to consider for clubs and schools are 21 x 7ft for junior football from age 11 upwards and 24 x 8 ft for senior football. These are available in steel or aluminium and free standing or socketed.

The FA provide a first aid course for coaches in order to give them the knowledge and skills to recognise and manage common injuries sustained in football and administer immediate non emergency first aid. The course gives coaches the understanding of when they should carry out first aid and when they should call for help.
The aim of the course is to give the coach or nominated first aider the skills required to identify injuries and provide a level of first aid to prevent these injuries worsening.
To get involved you will need to contact your clubs first aid representative or local FA.
It is recommended that each and every coach carries a first aid kit with the minimum FA requirements. These are available from our first aid department at  The Soccer Store.

When buying your Samba Football Goals make sure that you buy them from an established authorised supplier. It would be so easy these days to set up a site selling goals, or anything else for that matter, advertise your goods and then disappear from the public’s view after 2 or 3 months.
The Soccer Store are an established company who have a great deal experience with Samba Goals. We can advise you on the best goal for you, whether you are a club, school or individual. We offer a 1 year guarantee on the goals we sell, and a parts replacement service should anything go wrong.
Have a look at the review on our website, they speak for themselves.

The new Kickster Pro 2000 and Kickster Pro 3000 are now in stock at The Soccer Store.
These new goals from quickplay sports are ideal for training sessions where time is against you and you need to set up goals fast. They come in 2 sizes:
Kickster Pro 2000: The smaller goal is ideal for children up to 8 years old or to be set up as a target goal. It is a truly portable goal weighing just 3.5kg and taking around 2 minutes to set up.
Kickster Pro 3600: This goal has been manufactured in line with the mini soccer size of goal at 12 x 6ft. This is the perfect practice or training goal for all ages above 7 years old. It can be set up anywhere in approximately 3 minutes and weighs just 5.3kg.

We do get the occasional call at The Soccer Store from customers asking for cheap football goals.
We understand that everyone has their own budget but buying cheap football goals is a false economy. What happens is, you buy your cheap goal, it lasts for three or four months and then you have to buy a replacement.
We will always try to sell a Samba goal because we know it is a quality product that will last for years. We also know that we can offer a no quibble guarantee on the Samba goals because it is highly unlikely that anything will go wrong with these goals.
The bottom line is that you get what you pay for and buying cheap goals is something that we would advise against.