This is a bit of a random hub for me because I have never in my life purchased a pair of goalkeepers gloves; this hub is instead influenced by a conversation with my cousin, who is a semi-professional goalkeeper and a professional goalkeeping coach. He told me over lunch recently that he got through about 3 or 4 pairs a year. I naturally said "blimey that must cost you a fortune", his reply was simply "no". He swears that some of the best gloves - and longest lasting - on the market are amongst the cheapest, so I asked him to pick me out a few recommended pairs that were under $30. Considering the latest pair of Adidas gloves can cost up to $150, I was intrigued as to what he would come up with. Here is the short list! You will see that one pair is recommended as a training glove more than a match day glove.

My cousin picked out these Adidas F50 Replique as his personal favourite for under $30, citing that they lasted just as long as the 'pro' F50's of which these are a replica. Having also owned the real version he claimed that they lasted the same length of time, were lighter, and offered the same amount of protection to the hand. He always recommends these gloves to the kids that he coaches as a cost effective glove; naturally he tries and keeps the cost down for his students to encourage uptake. Having tried these on myself, albeit as somebody that has never played in goal competitively, I can tell you that they are sublimely comfortable and seem to wrap tight around your whole hand; this should give you greater control over the ball.

These Reusch are another long lasting budget glove, with a nice feel. The palm side foam has a very subtle feel yet is hard wearing. My cousin claims that he has never had a problem whatsoever with these gloves and that, like the F50 Replique, they offer good protection to your hand and tight control of the ball. I felt a pair of these too, albeit a slightly worn out pair, and they do have a very high quality feel. For the price, this is another high quality product that feel more like a match glove than an everyday training glove - which for the price is pleasantly surprising.

I would say that the Diadora Olimpico feels and looks more like a training glove than a match glove. If your budget is only going to stretch to one pair, then you need to be buying yourself a slightly heavier and hard wearing glove. That said, the comfort on these is amazing and if you can afford two pairs then I would fully recommend that these are purchased as your training gloves. The reason is simple, they are soft and extremely light, offering an almost soothing protection to your hand in an everyday practice session. My cousin swears on wearing training gloves for everyday, semi competitive, training sessions and retaining a heavier and tighter pair for the match day. My only criticism is that the pair I tried on, which were two months old, looked a lot older than they were! Perhaps that is testimony to how much footy my cousin plays however.