5 Wet Weather Football Hacks for Goalkeepers

Wet gloves, skidding shots and a six-yard box that's cutting up before half-time. Winter football brings its own problems for goalkeepers, particularly when you're trying to hold onto a slippery ball with a striker waiting for anything you spill.

Some of the most useful wet weather goalkeeper hacks are surprisingly simple. A towel kept out of the rain, a different approach to layering up, or a little extra attention to your gloves can save you plenty of frustration over a long winter season.

1. Keep a Towel in Your Goal

A towel hanging from the side netting has been part of a goalkeeper's matchday setup for years. The problem on a properly wet afternoon is keeping it dry enough to use.

Keep a Pro:Direct Essentials Towel hanging from the side netting to wipe mud and excess water from your gloves during breaks in play. A soft microfibre towel is another good option. It's absorbent, easier to wring out when soaked and gentler on delicate latex palms than a rough towel. Some keepers even use a waterproof bag to shelter their towel from the rain between uses.

You don't need to dry the palms completely. Most match latex works well with a little moisture, but mud and excess water are another matter. A second towel and a prepared spare pair of gloves at half-time are worth having when the first pair has taken a proper soaking.

2. Layer Up Properly

There's a particular kind of cold that comes with spending ten minutes watching your team attack, knowing you've still got to be ready for a full-stretch save at the other end.

Thin thermal layers are usually more practical than one bulky top. A close-fitting baselayer sits comfortably beneath your goalkeeper shirt without bunching around the shoulders, while a lightweight waterproof jacket helps during training and warm-ups. Keeping your match kit dry until kick-off is worth the effort too.

Some keepers have taken the rain jacket idea a little further. Gianluigi Donnarumma is among those spotted wearing jackets with the sleeves cut short during warm-ups. It looks unusual, but there's some logic behind it. You keep a layer of protection across your body without wet sleeves getting in the way when catching, throwing or stretching for a ball.

An old waterproof jacket is an option if you fancy trying it, although cutting the sleeves can compromise its weather protection. Purpose-made short-sleeve rain tops are available as well.

Pack a dry baselayer for after the warm up, or half-time if you need it. And when the ball's at the opposite end, keep moving enough to stay warm. Standing still in a wet six-yard box for long periods rarely makes the next save any easier.

3. Use Grip Spray

Rain doesn't have to be particularly heavy before handling becomes awkward. Once the ball gets greasy and mud starts gathering on the palms, even a routine catch can become tricky.

You might have seen professional keepers like Neuer rubbing Vaseline onto their gloves. It's an old trick some goalkeepers swear by in wet conditions, although petroleum jelly can be difficult to remove from latex and isn't recommended by every glove manufacturer.

A dedicated grip spray is a more practical option. Pro:Direct Essentials Max Grip is developed to increase friction between goalkeeper glove latex and the ball, working in both wet and dry conditions.

Apply it to clean palms and rub them together to activate the grip, following the bottle instructions. If you're using your match gloves for the warm-up, prepare them beforehand so you can get a feel for the grip while handling the ball. If you prefer warming up in an older pair, save the spray for your match gloves when you change.

Grip spray won't bring heavily worn latex back to life, but it can give your gloves a little extra help when the rain starts coming down.

4. Clean Your Goalkeeper Gloves Properly

Leaving muddy gloves in the bottom of your kit bag until Thursday training is easily done, particularly after a freezing afternoon you'd rather forget. Unfortunately, dried-in dirt isn't going to help the latex.

New goalkeeper gloves generally benefit from a pre-wash before their first game, following the manufacturer's instructions. After each match, rinse away the mud with lukewarm water, gently working dirt out of the palms with your fingers.

A dedicated cleaner like Pro:Direct Essentials GloveWash can help remove the dirt and sweat that builds up through training and matches. Avoid scrubbing the latex or wringing the gloves out. Leave them to dry naturally, away from radiators and direct sunlight.

Once dry, a Pro:Direct Twin Glove Wallet gives you somewhere to keep two pairs away from muddy boots and the rest of your kit. Having separate gloves for training and matches is also worth considering if you're playing regularly through winter.

5. Choose the Right Wet-Weather Boots and Gloves

By January, some natural grass goalmouths have barely got any grass left. The ground gets softer, your standing foot starts slipping and pushing off for a low save becomes harder than it should be.

Your boots need to suit what's underfoot. SG boots have longer studs that can dig into soft natural ground, giving you more purchase when planting and changing direction. If the grass is wet but the soil underneath is still firm, FG boots are generally the better option. On 3G, stick with dedicated AG boots.

Our Football Boot Ground Type Guide explains the differences if you're unsure which soleplate your pitch needs.

It's worth thinking about your gloves in the same way. Specialist wet-weather goalkeeper gloves, including models with uhlsport AQUAGRIP and other Aqua latex compounds, are developed with damp conditions in mind. They're worth considering for keepers spending most weekends in the rain, although a well-maintained pair of all-round gloves can still do the job.

Use the warm-up to find out what you're dealing with. Get someone to hit a few low shots across the wet goalmouth, then test a couple of sharp push-offs in your boots. The ball might skid across one part of the six-yard box and hold up completely in another. Better to find that out before the first shot of the match.