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Everything you need to take your game to the next level in 2023
If you’re anything like us, you make a similar resolution every January: play more football. Whether you’re a seasoned player who just wants to add another weekly game or you’re new to the sport and keen to start playing regularly, now is the time to do it. To help you get equipped for a new year filled with five-a-side matches, a return to Sunday League or just more regular kickabouts with your mates, we’ve pulled together all of your essential items.
1. New boots
As the well-known saying goes, new year, new boots. As well as being arguably the most important part of your kitbag, boots are also the most fun part to buy. 2022 saw some great new releases, with the Nike Phantom GTII line arguably the best to arrive. Whether you’re looking for firm ground or soft ground, elite level or entry-level, the Phantom GTII has a version for you. The boot has proven such a hit that it's worn by a whole host of the world’s best, with the Glacier Ice, Yellow Strike and Sunset Glow colourway proving to be particularly popular.
Advertisement2. The ball
There’s every chance your new teammates will have a full selection of match balls ready to go, but it’s also equally likely that it’ll be easily forgotten each week, so it’s worth having your own. Now feels like the perfect time to go for adidas’ Al-Rihla design, best known as being the official match ball at the Qatar World Cup. You can relive the Messi vs Mbappe final for yourself.
3. A new kit bag
Brands like Nike and adidas all have a number of good and practical kit bags, but you might as well take this opportunity to indulge your inner mid-90s continental player. Le Coq Sportif has the ideal solution, complete with the brand’s iconic logo against the French flag. Altogether it makes the bag look equally good whether you’re reporting for duty at Clairefontaine or packing away your muddy boots on a Sunday morning.
4. The best shirt
It doesn’t matter if you’re a newcomer to the game or a veteran of the five-a-side scene, you want to be the best dressed. Ultimately, that comes down to the shirt you wear on the pitch. The World Cup had some of the best on offer, but if you want to scratch deeper than that then the best place to start might be with the best-dressed club in European football, Venezia FC. Another strong effort would be either of Red Star Paris’ Lack of Guidance-designed kits for the 2022-23 season.