Football Shoulder Pads Sizing Guide and More

Looking for the best football shoulder pads for your position? Different positions, ages, and body weights command a bigger size or more features. So before you head out on the gridiron, learn everything you should know about finding the perfect shoulder pad size and more in this complete guide!

Football shoulder pad sizing correlates with a player's weight as well as their chest and shoulder measurements. We’ve created simple football shoulder pad size charts for both youth players and adults if you already know your measurements:

Football is a full-contact sport with widely-known risks and potential injurys. Every player should take the field wearing the right size for the body and measurement they have right now.

Never size up for your younger student-athlete to grow into. The bigger size and looser fit can actually make them more susceptible to injury on the field. But staying fully protected on the gridiron is essential no matter if you’re a youth or adult player!

Measuring yourself for the perfect fitting football shoulder pads is easy! You’ll need a flexible measuring tape and another person to help you measure your shoulder measurement across your upper back. Ready to start?

Now that you know your exact measurements, all that you have left to do is cross-reference our football shoulder pad size chart!

When it comes to wearing shoulder pads for football, achieving the perfect fit is essential for both comfort and protection. Here’s how to find the right fit for your shoulder pads:

• Try the shoulder pads on, and fasten the belt's straps. Over-tightening the straps can irritate your underarms.
• Both belts and their elastic straps should fit snugly — not feel uncomfortable or too tight.
• You shouldn’t feel any pinching or binding at the neck around your collar.
• When you lift the top shoulder plate, the secondary pad should completely cover the top of both shoulder areas.
• The plate should fully cover and protect your chest down to your sternum plus your back (specifically both shoulder blades).

Now that you have an idea of what size shoulder pads for football to get, it’s time to try on a pair or two! Here’s how to put them on and how to determine if they offer the coverage and range of mobility is what you need:

• Bring the pads down over your head, ensuring they're carefully aligned.
• Secure and tighten all straps and laces.
• Once everything is secure, neither the padding nor the collar should pinch your neck and the set should rest comfortably on your shoulders.
• Check the front and back coverage. Your sternum, upper shoulders, and shoulder blades should be completely shielded, even when you lift your arms above your head.
• Move around and pretend you're on the field. By practicing a few plays with your new pads you can check that the comfort, fit, and coverage work while you're in action.

Now that you know the best size and fit, you’ll need to learn about a few other factors you should consider when choosing a set of football shoulder pads. Each position requires its own criteria of coverage, durability, and weight.

Aside from identifying helpful design features that correlate to your respective position, other questions you may want to ask yourself include:

• Are the pads ventilated in all the right areas to help me stay cool?
• Can I raise my arms overhead and twist my body without the pads shifting?
• Do they offer the comfort I need to ensure a distraction-free fit?
• Will they negatively impact my view of the field or my throwing ability?

Athletes — from rookie to pro — can find gear from some of the top names in the game. Here are some of the popular brands found at Academy Sports + Outdoors:

• Riddell: Driven by a passion for the game and giving back to the football community, Riddell develops football gear with advanced technology to optimize the on-field performance of the player.
• Xenith: Xenith was born out of a desire to create a better football helmet. The brand has since developed other protective gear for the game with fit, feel, and performance at the core of each design.

Wearing shoulder pads alone can chafe your skin or cause irritation. Wearing a shirt of some kind also helps keep your football gear cleaner! Here are some common base layers for football players:

• T-shirts: A lightweight T-shirt can be all you need to stay cool beneath your gear.
• Compression shirts: These hug the body in all the right areas, creating a snug, supportive fit.
• Padded shirts: They offer an extra layer of protection across the rib cage and shoulders — and under the arms.

You can also maximize your comfort level with specialized fabric technology. For instance, odor-control fabrics help you feel fresher longer and moisture-wicking technology makes it easier to stay cool and dry beneath your pads in the heat of the action.

Shoulder pads for football are pretty easy to clean at home. Cleaning them not only helps prevent unpleasant odors from building up. Doing so also minimizes the risk of you developing an infection from the excess bacteria.

• Remove loose dirt and debris: You can brush off dirt and grass by hand or give your pads a good shake.
• Disinfect the plastic frame: Using a disinfectant sports gear cleaner, spray down the plastic frame beneath the padding.
• Disinfect the padding: Thoroughly spray down your pads. Your sports gear spray should sanitize the foam and also deodorize the set, so they'll smell fresh from the first practice to the last game.
• Let your gear dry: It's important to make sure your gear completely dries after you clean it to guard against mold and mildew.
• Repeat after each use: Cleaning your pads once a week ­or when they start to smell may not be enough to prevent infection. Make sure that every time you hit the locker room you're putting on fresh, clean equipment.

Start the season off right – find your size and shop all the football essentials in-store or online at Academy.com. With shoulder pads that fit just right and are well maintained, you can confidently take hits, deliver your own and stay focused on the field.