What to Wear to 5-a-Side: An Honest Dress Code
Five-a-side has a dress code. Nobody printed it, everybody follows it, and breaking it gets you roasted before kickoff. Here's the honest version.
The rules nobody wrote down
Astro trainers, not moulded studs - unless you enjoy going down like a newborn giraffe on the turn. Shin pads optional, dignity not included. And the shirt matters more than you'll admit: it's the one thing your teammates read before you've touched the ball.
Wear your game
The move is a bold, single-colour statement tee - the kind that tells the other five exactly what they're dealing with. Think a clean overhead-kick silhouette for the optimist who'll attempt all hundred, The Engine for the one who actually does the running, or The Tackle for the timing-not-fouling merchant. Ball-players go The Dribble; the keeper who fancies it goes The Fingertip Save.
For the tactics nerd
And then there's the bloke who talks about half-spaces on a pitch with no nets, or sets up a double pivot in a game of five. If that's you, own it - loudly.
Once you're kitted, figure out which of the eleven you actually are in the team-sheet guide, or brush up on the weekend warrior glossary.
Kit yourself out →