Kids' Rugby Kit List: What Your Child Actually Needs for Their First Season

Your child has signed up. The club has sent a list with fourteen things on it and no explanation. Half of it they'll need in week one, some of it they'll never use, and the two things that actually matter on a muddy Sunday in November aren't on the list at all. Here's the parent's version.

What they need before the first session

Boots. Rugby boots, not football boots, if the club allows the choice: a higher cut and, for forwards, more studs. Moulded studs are fine for minis and firm ground; screw-in studs come later. Buy them a size up with thick socks, and don't spend a lot. They'll be too small by spring. Bring the boots to the first session in a bag and let them walk in on the grass, not the car park.

Gum shield. Compulsory for contact at almost every club. Boil and bite, junior size for most under-elevens, an orthodontic one if they have braces. Mould it the night before, not in the car. Our gum shield guide for parents covers all of it.

Shorts, socks, a top. Any shorts with no pockets or zips, long socks, and a training top they don't mind ruining. The club shirt comes later, if they stick with it. Layers for the cold: a base layer under the top does more than a hoodie over it.

Water bottle. Named. It will be lost by half term regardless.

What they might need

Scrum cap. Optional at most clubs. It reduces cuts and grazes to the head and ears and can help with cauliflower ear, and it does not prevent concussion, whatever the marketing implies. Some kids want one for the look; that's fine. Some hate wearing anything on their head. Don't force it. Our scrum cap article has the honest version.

Shoulder pads and protection tops. Rarely needed for minis and juniors. Check what the club allows before buying.

Gloves. Mitts for cold hands are fine; grip gloves are a matter of taste and mostly a matter of fashion.

What isn't on the list and should be

A first aid kit in your bag. Not the club's, yours. Rugby is grazes, grass burns, astro burns, nosebleeds and the odd cut, and the club kit is on the other side of the pitch behind the coach who's refereeing. A small kit in the touchline bag gets your child cleaned and covered in two minutes and back on. Our turf burn first aid kit was built for exactly this: cleansing wipes, non-adherent dressings, plasters that survive a shower, a cold pack. The rugby first aid kit guide covers what belongs in it and what the club should have.

Something to clean their skin with after training. Mud, sweat and other people's sweat, then an hour in the car and a bath at bedtime. That's the window where grazes get grubby and the changing-room lurgies move in. Full Guard is the rinse-free cleansing spray we make for exactly that: spray on the arms, legs and face at the pitch side, let it dry, sorted until the shower. No fragrance, no sting, and it's in a hundred-mil bottle that lives in the bag.

A bar of soap that's actually theirs. Rugby kids share everything. A bar in the wash bag that nobody else uses, for the shower after, is the cheapest habit you'll ever build. Our tea tree bar is the gentle one.

A bag for muddy kit. A separate drawstring bag for the wet, muddy things so the whole kit bag doesn't rot. Kit gets washed the same night. Every night. The complete guide to washing training kit will save you a lot of grief.

The changing-room rules, for you as much as them

Shower after training, not at bedtime. Nails short. Don't share gum shields, towels or bars of soap. Cuts and grazes get cleaned and covered before the next session, and anything on their skin you can't explain gets looked at by a pharmacist before they train again. Most of the skin problems in junior rugby come from one of those five being skipped, and none of them are hard.

The bag, in one list

• Boots, in a boot bag
• Gum shield, in a ventilated case
• Shorts, socks, training top, base layer
• Water bottle, named
• Small first aid kit
• Full Guard, for after
• Their own soap and a towel
• A separate bag for muddy kit
• Scrum cap, if they want one

That's it. Everything else is the club shop.

Full Guard and our soap bars are cosmetic products for cleansing the skin and do not treat or prevent any condition. First aid kits support, and do not replace, first aid training. If your child is injured or unwell, see a pharmacist, GP or first aider; in an emergency call 999.