Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Go to $5 and below

Here’s what I learned as an Angel tree giver. The family can probably afford five below and dollar tree stuff. If you’re buying for a child thru an Angel tree or similar program, try and buy the nice stuff, if budget allows.

There is nothing wrong with $5 below stuff at all. They have some quality things. This is supposed to be for kids who won't get anything for the holidays. Don't be a snob.

I’m not a snob. My kids ball is from five below. I’m saying that these families do usually get their kids stuff to supplement what they asked for as donations. They probably can’t afford a $30 soccer ball but could get him one from five below. I’d feel differently if it was for a 4yo.

OP I'd also throw in one of those small ball pumps. Chances are they don't haveone, and my kids are constantly needing to pump up their soccer balls. Please don't do a cheapo dollar tree ball- they can get that. Get the kid a nice on that will last.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Go to $5 and below

Here’s what I learned as an Angel tree giver. The family can probably afford five below and dollar tree stuff. If you’re buying for a child thru an Angel tree or similar program, try and buy the nice stuff, if budget allows.

There is nothing wrong with $5 below stuff at all. They have some quality things. This is supposed to be for kids who won't get anything for the holidays. Don't be a snob.

Anonymous wrote:Go to $5 and below

Here’s what I learned as an Angel tree giver. The family can probably afford five below and dollar tree stuff. If you’re buying for a child thru an Angel tree or similar program, try and buy the nice stuff, if budget allows.

Anonymous wrote:I'd just filter for the right size and do a sort on price on Dick's website and choose the cheapest one that looks good. Can't go wrong with Adidas, Nike, or Umbro but any of the ones there should do it.

Yes, anything from a name-brand would be great.

We have this and it perfectly fine:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Umbro-Ceramica-2-0-Size-5-Youth-and-Beginner-Soccer-Ball-Yellow/343504007?variantFieldId=actual_color

Bright yellow and we use a sharpie to put our name on everything. At $12, the price is right.

Go to $5 and below

Here's a link that kind of describes the different tiers from different manufacturers:

https://www.worldsoccershop.com/guide/soccer-ball-price-tiers

There are some balls that aren't mentioned in there but generally balls in the same msrp range are about the same.

I kind of agree with the other poster. Where in the higher quality balls it's more for gameplay and some things for every day use might not be what you're looking for.

For example I think the Select ball is often regarded as a great ball but doesn't hold air that well. Where most people only care about it holding air long enough for a game. But personally I want a ball that can hold air for a couple of days.

My kids started out with the Nike Pitch soccer balls, which is the lowest tier maybe second to lowest, that we randomly picked up from a discount clothing store. And they served their purpose pretty well. They did become lopsided and started to burst at the seams. But given how many seasons my kids played with them, we don't really have any complaints.

Due to that and expecting our kids to play more, decided to move to the next tier up with Nike Strike and Adidas Training balls to see if it makes a difference with durability. The feel of the surface is a bit different with some padding compared to the vinyl feeling of the Nike Pitch balls. But jury's still out for us if it's worth it or not.

A couple of weeks ago, and it's pretty common, you could find balls for sale for up to 50 percent off. So the normal price range I look for the balls is about $10 for the Nike Pitch or Adidas Club Balls, which I skip. And about $15 to $20 for the Nike Strike and Adidas Training balls. And we got an Adidas League soccer ball for $20 but I think it might not be suited for our purpose.

As others mentioned you have to consider the purpose, player and level of play when choosing a ball. And for team practices, balls are usually grouped together and the player might not even use the ball that they brought. And there's a risk of the ball disappearing in games or practices from things like getting kicked out of bounds and not being able to find it afterwards. You kind of have to have a mentality to be ready to lose a ball. So I'll probably try to stick to close to $15 for a ball.

So to me $50 is a really nice and expensive ball(I know they get more expensive then that). And if money isn't really a factor and it's a one time cost you won't care about, I'd just get a $30 ball off the shelf and include a ball pump as well.

My daughter has been playing travel soccer for years, I never paid more than 25 or $30 for a ball! AND when she loses her, I make her buy with her own money from five below. I would definitely spend money on the other items, clothing, etc. that the child needs.

Da hell

I'd just filter for the right size and do a sort on price on Dick's website and choose the cheapest one that looks good. Can't go wrong with Adidas, Nike, or Umbro but any of the ones there should do it.

Doesn't matter and should NOT be $50! Just buy one that is the correct size and looks cool. Make sure it comes with an air pump (most do).

Thank you!
Yes, I've been reading a lot of reviews and I notice people saying that the more unusual color/pattern ones are good because they won't get confused with someone else's ball.
One common complaint I'm seeing, on various brands and models, is that "it's smaller than the size it's supposed to be." It makes me wary of buying it...but then I feel like at least one review on every ball I've looked at says that.

You don’t have to spend anywhere near $50. Search on Amazon. Do you have his exact age? This will help determine what size ball, which is important. My daughter is in middle school and has played soccer since preschool. I buy whatever on Amazon or Dicks Sporting goods based on the size.

Under 12, buy size 4
If he’s 12, buy size 5

Honestly, I try to buy a color that can be easily found on the field when she’s at practice. She’s never cared about brand.

The tween boy I selected wants a soccer ball.
Is there a certain brand/model of ball I should get? I'm willing to spend up to $50 (I also selected his sibling, and trying to keep amounts equal.) but if I spend less than $50 on the ball I can buy more of some of the other stuff he asked for.
Thank you!