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News, buying guides and gear reviews. Our scores and verdicts are only published after field testing.

Illustration of a white football helmet inside an orange circular arrow Buying guides

How often should a football helmet be reconditioned, and when should you replace it?

How often a football helmet must be reconditioned and recertified to the NOCSAE standard, what the workshop does, and the signs that call for a new one.

 Illustration of a player throwing a ball at a training net with four orange ring targets, pegged into the grass Buying guides

How to practise football throwing at home

Work on your passing in the garden: target nets and their prices, the space they need, ball size by age and the drills published by the governing bodies.

 Illustration of a football cleat in profile with an orange arrow measuring its length from heel to toe Buying guides

How should football cleats fit?

Measure your foot, read the Nike and Under Armour charts and leave the right room at the toes: the manufacturers' own method for sizing football cleats.

 Illustration of a bent arm and a bent leg, each wearing a protective sleeve with an orange honeycomb pad over the elbow and the knee Buying guides

Football knee and elbow pads: what the rules require

Knee pads are mandatory and must sit under the pants, elbow pads are optional. What the IFAF rulebook demands, the padding thicknesses and the sizing.

 Illustration of a padded football girdle seen from the front, with the hip and thigh pads highlighted in orange Buying guides

How to Choose a Football Girdle

Football girdles explained: what the rules require, 5-pad versus 7-pad, sewn-in pads or pockets, shorts or full-length, and how to measure for the right size.

 Illustration of an orange football back plate on a green disc, its curved shell pierced with height-adjustment holes and held by two straps that run up to the rear belts of the shoulder pads, drawn as a dashed line Buying guides

What is a football backplate and do you need one

A football backplate explained: what the plate covers, how it straps to your shoulder pads, the height adjustment, the sizes on offer and the jersey rule.

 Illustration of a flag football player in full kit on a green disc: jersey tucked into pocketless shorts, a belt with one orange flag on each hip, moulded studs and a ball under the arm Buying guides

What do you need to play flag football

The full flag football kit list: flag belt, ball size, jersey, shorts, shoes and mouthguard, straight from the official IFAF 5-on-5 rulebook.

 Illustration of a referee whistle on a green disc next to three orange ticks on a checklist Rules of the game

What equipment is mandatory in American football

The nine pieces the IFAF rule book makes compulsory, what each one must meet, what stays optional or illegal, and the penalty when a piece is missing.

 Illustration of three American footballs side by side, from the smallest youth size to the full official size, above an orange arrow Buying guides

What size football by age: pee wee, junior, youth, official

Pee wee, junior, youth or official: football sizes by age, the exact dimensions the IFAF rulebooks set for each one, and the balls sold in Europe.

 Illustration of a boil-and-bite football mouthguard seen from above, with the tooth channel and its detachable helmet strap Buying guides

How to choose the best football mouthguard

Football mouthguards: what the IFAF rules demand, boil-and-bite or custom-made, playing with braces, which certifications exist and how to look after yours.