Goalkeeper Gloves: from past to present

Goalkeeper's gloves as an indispensable element of the keeper's equipment of the football goal appeared relatively recently, not earlier than the sixties of the last century. Before that goalkeepers completely dispensed with them.

Statistics of injuries to the goalkeeper during the ball was not scored. But everyone who played football at least in childhood knows that "accepting" the ball or parrying a penalty is not an easy task, especially if the ball is flying at a high speed. Injuries to the joints of the fingers or wrists are not uncommon. Of course, professional football goalkeepers have mastered their art perfectly, but in the process of playing there are different collisions and non-standard situations, when the risk of injury is maximized. In addition, even if you managed to avoid injury, the ball hit causes quite a lot of pain.

Gloves goalkeeper first appeared in the world in the distant 1885, when one William Sykes took a patent for the manufacture of gloves for the football goalkeeper. Gloves were made of thick skin, other design features are unknown. But, judging by the fact that goalkeepers for many decades did without protective gloves, the novelty did not take root. And only in the second half of the century past this element of equipment comes into fashion and eventually becomes mandatory for goalkeepers.

Initially, the goalkeeper's gloves were made of thick leather and had a lining inside to soften the impact. In fact, in principle, they did not differ from conventional gloves. Appearance of the design features that singled out the goalkeeper's gloves from the host of their "civil" relatives, experts in the history of football associate with the name of the Italian goalkeeper Stefano Andreioti. Ostensibly after he missed the goal in rainy weather, releasing a slippery ball from his hand, and the first gloves with lacing were created, on the outer part of which he later sewed rubber lining, which improved the grip.

Later the goalkeeper left the sport and, having founded a small workshop, set up the production of goalkeeper gloves and their export to neighboring France under the trademark Standreo. To adapt the unusual Italian name to the French ear, it was soon replaced by Stanno. Under this brand, the company is thriving to this day. Wide audience name Stanno, perhaps, will not say anything, but in the football environment it is known very well.

Modern goalkeeper gloves can be called without exaggeration high-tech products. It's not just gloves with lining and hard fixing pads to improve grip. The palm surface is made of latex with a thickness of four to six millimeters. To secure the gloves on the hand and prevent a wrist injury, an elastic band with "Velcro" is used. On the fingers - mesh inserts for ventilation of hands.

One of the best in the environment of professionals are considered goalie gloves Adidas. German super-concern "Adidas" specializes in the production of sports equipment, clothes and shoes, and its name has long been synonymous with the standard in the world of sports. Goalie gloves Adidas are produced in a large number of modifications in many countries around the world at subsidiaries and affiliates of the company.

Worldwide, the improvement of sports equipment continues. This applies not only to gloves, but also to much more complex items of equipment and equipment. Modern sport is too big and serious business to resist the temptation to "cut down money" on the constant race of new sports equipment, uniforms and shoes. Somehow it turned out that athletes performing at high level competitions should be in the best shape - both literally and figuratively. They, of course, will receive it from the manufacturer for free, they will also be paid for it. But those who seek to copy their idols, will lay out for a similar in the sports store a round sum.