Youth soccer jersey sizing

Jersey sizing is the one piece of soccer apparel that reliably surprises people, and the surprise is always in the same direction. The reason is deliberate: performance kit is cut close to the body so it does not flap, and youth ranges follow the same pattern as adult ones.

Rough guide by age

Bands are approximate and vary between manufacturers. Height is a better guide than age, and the manufacturer's own chart beats both. Treat this as a starting point and check the specific brand.

When to size up

Three situations where going up a size is the right call:

1. They are between two sizes. The slim cut means the smaller one will be tight rather than close-fitting, and a jersey that rides up gets worn once.
2. They are mid-growth-spurt. There is very little room built into the cut, so a jersey bought to fit exactly in September will be short by spring.
3. It is a match jersey that will be worn all season, or handed on to a sibling. Erring larger is sensible for both.

And one situation where it is not: a practice jersey for a kid whose size is stable. A jersey two sizes too big flaps, gets caught, and annoys them.

Do they shrink?

Modern soccer jerseys are made from synthetic technical fabrics — polyester blends — and synthetics do not shrink the way cotton does. Washed warm and line dried, a jersey should hold its size.

What does happen with heat is worse than shrinking: hot washes and tumble drying degrade the fabric's moisture-wicking over time, and can damage printed numbering. So the reason to wash warm rather than hot is not shrinkage — it is keeping the jersey doing its job.

If a jersey has genuinely got tighter, the likelier explanation is your kid.

Length is the dimension that catches people

Youth jerseys are cut short as well as slim, and length is what parents notice first when the size is wrong — the jersey does not tuck in properly, or it rides up when they raise their arms.

Check it with the arms up. Have them reach overhead: if the hem lifts above the waistband of their shorts, the jersey is too short, regardless of how it fits across the chest. That is the check worth doing, because a jersey that fails it will be tugged at all game.

Boys' and girls' sizing

Most youth soccer jerseys are sold unisex, and at the younger ages there is no meaningful difference in cut. Where brands do offer separate girls' ranges, the cut is usually slightly narrower through the shoulders and shaped at the waist.

For a team that requires matching jerseys, the unisex option is generally what gets specified — which is worth knowing before buying a girls'-cut jersey that will not match the rest of the squad.

If the club is printing numbers

Two practical points. Get the size right before printing, because a printed jersey cannot be exchanged — this is the one case where measuring properly rather than guessing genuinely matters.

And wash printed jerseys inside out, warm, and line dry. Heat and abrasion are what lift printed numbering, and a jersey with half a number on it looks worse than a plain one.

Buying a jersey as a gift

Popular and risky, for the same reason cleats are: get the size wrong and it is unusable. If you are buying for someone else's kid, ask the parent for a height rather than a clothing size — height survives brand differences where a size label does not.

And be aware that a replica professional jersey is a different product from a practice jersey: several times the price, not cut for team numbering, and outgrown within a year. It is a lovely gift and poor practice kit. See the gift ideas for options that do not depend on a size at all.

Shorts, briefly

Soccer shorts run truer to size than jerseys and are more forgiving, since the waistband is elasticated. The one thing to check is length — youth soccer shorts are cut long relative to other sports, and some kids dislike that.

Buy the size that matches their everyday shorts and it will generally be right, which is more than can be said for jerseys.