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The short answer
For a kid trying goalkeeping, start with the Reusch Alex Goalkeeper Pant — padded hips and knees, a foot strap that stops the leg riding up, and sizes down to YXS. For a committed keeper training on artificial turf, the Storelli ExoShield GK 3/4 is the one they will keep wearing, because the mid-calf cut clears their shin guards.
Nobody buys keeper pants first. The order is always gloves, then a season, then a kid who has stopped diving properly because the last three times hurt. Artificial turf is what causes it — a grass field forgives a bad landing and a sand-filled turf field does not.
So this page is written for the second purchase, and the question it answers is narrower than the category implies: which of these actually gets worn, and where does the padding need to be?
Where a young keeper actually lands
Three places, in this order: the hip, the outside of the thigh, and the knee. Not the shin, not the lower back, and not the places a general-purpose padded garment covers.
That is why keeper pants put the material in those three zones rather than spreading it evenly. Storelli publishes the figures for its ExoShield pant: 7 mm slow-rebound foam at the hips and thighs, 5 mm Poron XRD pads at the knees, plus abrasion overlays on the slide zones. Reusch publishes only that the Alex has padded hips and knees, with no material or thickness stated.
We are not going to treat those as comparable. A published 5 mm Poron pad and an unspecified pad are different kinds of claim, and the honest reading is that the Storelli is the better-documented protection and the Reusch is the better-priced starting point.
The detail that decides whether they get worn
Shin guards. A full-length keeper pant has to share the lower leg with a shin guard and a sock pulled over it, and on a child's leg there is not much room for all three. The result is bunching at the top of the guard, which is uncomfortable enough that the pants come off and stay off.
The three-quarter cut exists for exactly this. Storelli's ExoShield GK 3/4 keeps the molded hip foam and the knee pads and stops at mid-calf, which clears the guard entirely. Reusch takes the other approach on the Alex with a strap at the foot, which stops the leg riding up over the knee pad mid-dive — the commonest failure of a loose keeper pant on a thin leg.
Starts at YXS, which is the smallest keeper pant any of these brands publishes. Most youth keeper kit starts too big, and a pant that is too big puts the knee pad somewhere other than the knee.
Full-length, published 7 mm hip and thigh foam with 5 mm Poron knees, and abrasion overlays on the slide zones. The right answer once most training is on turf.
Tap any row to jump to the full write-up. The price in each button is the one Amazon reported on the date stamped under it — tap through for today’s number, which is the only one that can be relied on.
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Product
Best for
Surface
Fit notes
Price
1
Reusch Alex Goalkeeper PantThe honest first pair: it covers the two places a young keeper lands, in sizes that actually fit a nine-year-old.
Product photos come from each item’s current Amazon listing.
Pants, or leggings under shorts?
Both exist and they are different products. An outer-layer pant goes on over shorts and comes off for a grass game. A padded legging is a base layer worn under the shorts and stays on.
Storelli lists both shapes in its youth range; the leggings are the base-layer version of the same padding idea.
Outer pant
Padded legging
Worn
Over shorts
Under shorts
Comes off mid-session
Easily
No
In a match
Usually training only
Can be worn in games
Heat
Warmer
Cooler
Kit-color rules
Not usually an issue
Check your league
Scroll the table sideways on a narrow screen.
For a youth keeper, the outer pant is the more useful first purchase because it can come off when the session moves to grass. The legging matters once a keeper wants protection in matches too, and that is also the point at which league rules about under-short colors start to apply.
The sizing mistake to avoid
Do not size up to buy a second season. This is the one category where the usual parent instinct actively breaks the product.
The pads are positioned for the size. On a pant one size too big, the knee pad sits below the knee and the hip foam sits on the thigh — so the kid is wearing protective equipment that is not over anything that gets hit. Buy the size that fits now. The glove size chart makes the same point about gloves for a different reason.
A long-sleeve layer, because elbows and forearms take turf burn too. The cold weather picks cover the base layer that does it.
The right footwear for the training surface, which for most youth keepers is turf shoes rather than studs — and cleats for goalkeepers covers the match pair.
Is it worth buying at all?
Honest answer: it depends on one thing, which is the surface. A keeper whose training and games are on grass can go a long time without padded pants and lose nothing. A keeper doing weekly sessions on sand-filled artificial turf will either get padded pants or stop diving, and the second outcome is the expensive one.
If your kid is still working out whether they want to be a keeper, buy the cheapest option that fits and see whether it gets worn. Why goalies wear gloves is the better place to start if the whole thing is new.
1. Reusch
Reusch Alex Goalkeeper Pant
The honest first pair: it covers the two places a young keeper lands, in sizes that actually fit a nine-year-old.
Best for
A first pair for a kid who just volunteered to go in goal
Levels
U9–U10 · U11–U12 · U13+ travel & club
Type / surface
Full-length padded pant
How it fits
Sized YXS through YL. The foot strap is what makes the fit work on a thin leg — use it, or the pant rotates and the knee pads end up on the side of the knee.
What we like
Starts at YXS, the smallest keeper pant any of these brands publishes — most youth keeper kit starts too big
The foot strap stops the leg riding up over the knee pad mid-dive, which is the commonest failure of a loose keeper pant
Costs roughly half what the padded-technology options cost, which is the right trade for a player trying goalkeeping out
Where it falls short
Reusch publishes the padding only as padded hips and knees, with no material or thickness figure — so the protection cannot be compared against the Poron and foam specifications above
100% polyester with no stated ventilation, so it runs warmer than the mesh-panelled options
Manufacturer’s published specs
100% polyester (Reusch)
Padded hips and knees
Strap at the foot
Sizes YXS, YS, YM and YL, then adult
These are the manufacturer’s own claims, not measurements we took.
The right answer for a committed keeper doing most of their training on artificial turf.
Best for
A keeper training on turf or hard ground, U11 and up
Levels
U11–U12 · U13+ travel & club
Type / surface
Full-length outer-layer pant
How it fits
Storelli lists youth sizes YS through YXL. The pads are positioned for the size, so sizing up to buy a second season puts the knee pad below the knee — buy the size that fits now.
What we like
Padding is where a diving keeper actually lands — hips, thighs and knees — rather than spread thinly everywhere
Worn as an outer layer, so it goes on over shorts for training and comes off for a grass game
Mesh panels address the real reason kids refuse padded pants, which is that they get too hot
Where it falls short
Full-length legs are too warm for a hot afternoon, and a keeper who takes them off is not protected
The most expensive option here by a wide margin, for a player who may move out of goal next season
Manufacturer’s published specs
7 mm slow-rebound ImpactShield foam at the hips and thighs (Storelli)
5 mm Poron XRD pads at the knees
Abrasion overlays reinforcing the slide zones
Mesh ventilation panels; no base layer required
Youth sizes YS, YM, YL and YXL, then adult S to XL
These are the manufacturer’s own claims, not measurements we took.
Padded bottoms are only half of the protection question, and the top half is stranger than it looks: most youth keeper jerseys are not padded at all, and the two that are tend to be the cheapest ones on the rack. The youth keeper jersey picks sort them by what each listing actually specifies.
Common questions
Do youth goalkeepers need padded pants?+
It depends almost entirely on the training surface. On grass a young keeper can manage without them indefinitely. On sand-filled artificial turf, weekly diving sessions cause hip and knee bruising and turf burn quickly, and the usual result is a kid who quietly stops diving properly. Padded pants are the fix for that specific problem.
What are the best goalkeeper pants for a kid?+
For a first pair, the Reusch Alex Goalkeeper Pant: padded hips and knees, a foot strap that stops the leg riding up over the pad, and a size run starting at YXS. For a committed keeper on turf, the Storelli ExoShield GK 3/4 is the one that keeps getting worn, because the mid-calf cut clears shin guards instead of bunching on them.
Should goalkeeper pants go over or under shorts?+
Both shapes exist. Outer-layer pants go over the shorts and can come off when a session moves to grass, which makes them the more useful first purchase for a youth keeper. Padded leggings are base layers worn under the shorts, can be worn in matches, and are cooler — but check your league's rules about under-short colors first.
What size goalkeeper pants should I buy for my kid?+
The size that fits now, not a size up. The pads are positioned for the size, so on a pant one size too big the knee pad sits below the knee and the hip foam sits on the thigh — protective equipment covering nothing that gets hit. Reusch lists YXS through YL and Storelli lists YS through YXL.
Are three-quarter goalkeeper pants better than full length?+
For a youth keeper, usually yes, for a practical reason rather than a protective one. A full-length pant has to share the lower leg with a shin guard and a sock, and on a child's leg that bunches uncomfortably. The three-quarter cut keeps the hip and knee padding and stops at mid-calf. It does leave the lower shin exposed to turf burn.
Do goalkeeper pants have knee padding?+
The ones worth buying do, because the knee is one of the three places a keeper lands. Storelli publishes 5 mm Poron XRD pads at the knees on its ExoShield pants, alongside 7 mm foam at the hips and thighs. Reusch states that the Alex has padded hips and knees without publishing a material or thickness.
Sources
Storelli — youth goalkeeper pants and leggings — The current youth range and stock check: the BodyShield Impact, NoBurn, NoBurn GK and CoolCore GK leggings, and the ExoShield GK and ExoShield GK 3/4 pants, with the padding description Storelli gives each one.
Storelli — ExoShield GK Pants — Storelli's published specification: 7 mm slow-rebound ImpactShield foam at hips and thighs, 5 mm Poron XRD pads at the knees, abrasion overlays on the slide zones, mesh ventilation panels, no base layer required, and youth sizes YS through YXL.
Reusch USA — Alex Goalkeeper Pant — Reusch's published specification: 100% polyester, padded hips and knees, a strap at the foot, and a size run of YXS, YS, YM and YL before the adult sizes.
Reusch — Attrakt goalkeeper gloves — Reusch's own description of the Finger Support system, AirVent ventilation and its youth sizing range.
