Minnesota Vixen Equipment and Uniforms

As a player, you will need to select and purchase your own protective equipment. You’ll find that there is a pad for every imaginable body part, but most people only need the basics. Keep your gear clean and in good repair – it is the tools of your trade.

Equipment from Head to Toe

As part of your uniform, the team provides the following;

• Practice • home jersey (dark) • away jersey (light) • pants • belt • socks • decals

We wear red over-the-calf socks for games. Pants are shiny black with a red belt. You may purchase additional practice jersey, socks and pants as you wish to have extra or if you prefer a different brand.

Helmet: Required, cost $100-$400

Must be adult size (NO YOUTH SIZES!), GLOSSY black with a SCARLET RED (not maroon, cardinal, carmine, etc.) facemask. The team logo decals for your helmet will be provided.

• Visors are allowed, clear only. • Some come with a soft leather chin cup/strap. Most players discard it and purchase a padded hard cup version with vinyl straps. • Titanium facemasks are available for some models of helmet. They are not cheap, but they can significantly reduce the overall weight of your helmet without loss of protection. • Make sure any helmet you buy is NOCSAE certified (check for a sticker on the back). Most newer helmets will have the first year they were used on the back as well. If the helmet is more than 5 years old and you don’t know its history and can’t get it reconditioned, LEAVE IT ALONE. Don’t risk your noggin. For more information on the NOCSAE, visit www.nocsae.org.

Mouth guard: Required, cost $0.99-$30

Per the WFA rules, mouth guards must be any readily visible color (no white or transparent) and cover all upper teeth. • Recommend having a back-up mouth guard in your bag! • Consider getting a mouth guard that straps to your helmet to prevent loss and/or germs. • If your mouth guard comes with instructions, READ THEM. You’re about to melt plastic in boiling hot water and stick it in your mouth; the instructions could help you avoid some pain. • Recommend mouth guard is one molded by a dentist. The fit the best and make it easier to talk. In past years, we have coordinated a custom mouth guard fitting session through the U of M dental school. They are $20 cash, no health or dental insurance needed. • Shock Doctor makes a mouth guard for the lower teeth called the Gravity 2 STC. It is meant for sports where a helmet is worn and can make it easier to talk and breathe while wearing it. • Game On Mouth guards are another excellent mouth guard that allows for easy speaking, comfprt while giving you protection. https://gameonmouthguards.com/products/game-on%C2%AE-mouthguard

Shoulder pads: Required, cost $20-200

Here is a great explanation of how to fit shoulder pads: http://www.riddell.com/riddell/wp- content/uploads/2013/09/Shoulder-Pad-Fitting_01.pdf. We can help fit you, too.

• Douglas makes shoulder pads especially for women called Zena pads. They tend to work best for women of larger size and/or bosom. These are no longer being manufactured but you can find used ones online. • Most people wear something under the shoulder pads. Any kind of T-shirt will work. A lot of people wear a compression shirt (think Under Armour), padded or not.

Leg pads: Required $30-$40 Hip, tailbone, thigh and knee pads

You have two options, compression girdle with integrated pads or traditional leg pads.

Compression Girdle with integrated pads: HIGHLY Recommended, cost $30-100

Just like the padded compression shirts, some compression shorts (also called girdles) have padding built in to the tailbone, hips and thighs. Most do not come with knee pads, so you will need to purchase those. See below.

Traditional Leg pads: Hip, tailbone and thigh pads cost $10-30

You can get pre-packaged pad sets of varying thicknesses in several different combinations. This type of pad would be inserted into the pockets of your football pants (all football pants come with pad pockets on the inside) or threaded through your belt.

Knee pads: Required, Cost $15-30

These may be built into a girdle or come as part of a pad set. You may also buy weightlifting sleeves or bubble/flat knee pads like players use. Some players wear two sets. WFA rules specify they must be at least ½” thick and completely covered by your pants.

Cleats: Required, cost $20-100+

Most of our games are played on turf. While practice is on grass and a game could be on grass, we recommend getting molded turf shoes. You could purchase detachable cleats and change out for grass if you wanted. Just make sure they are comfortable. You could go with soccer or softball cleats if you need to save some cash. This is the one place a youth size is acceptable, but while it could save you money you’ll probably sacrifice some comfort.

Compression Shirt/Tights: Optional, cost $25-100

These are form-fitting shirts with or without padding. If there is padding, it is usually around the top of the shoulders and side/rib area. Many players want a little extra protection for their midsection, and a padded shirt is less bulky than a rib protector.

• Any visible shirt that will be worn on game day should be black, red, grey or white. • You may see items described as “heat gear” and “cold gear” shirts. The “cold gear” shirts are especially nice because we play outdoors in the early spring in the Midwest, which generally means unpredictable but chilly weather; these shirts can wick moisture from your body and help you keep warm on the sideline. The “heat gear” shirts also wick away moisture, but they are designed to let heat escape as well. Heat gear can also be doused in cold water on a hot day to help keep you cool. • Leggings or tights are nice to have for cold practice or game nights. • Note: Your base layer (meaning the layer closest to your bare skin) should not be 100% cotton but some sort of synthetic fabric (rayon, spandex, nylon, etc.). Cotton will get wet and stay wet, make you cold and weigh you down.

Elbow pads: Optional, cost $10-30

We recommend the hexagonal type if you do purchase any. They tend to stay in place better while moving with you.

Forearm pads: Optional, cost $10-30

Gloves: Optional, cost $10-$50

There are two general types of gloves: wide receiver/running back and lineman. The difference is usually in the amount of padding on the palm, fingers and back of the hand. Receiver/running back gloves most often have a “tacky” or stickier surface on the palm and fingers. If you have smaller hands, consider trying on youth sizes as they tend to cost less yet are made of the same material as adult styles.

On cold days- wear latex/nylon gloves under your regular gloves to keep warm.

Pants: optional; cost $0-40

The team will provide one pair game pants are part of the uniform package. You can wear these to practice if you chose or non-football pants or shorts work well too. Most football pants are made of a polyester blend; look for a high Spandex or Lycra content if you want them to stay on your booty instead of below it.

Game towel: Optional, cost $10-30

If you will be handling the a lot or don’t want to wear gloves, you may want a towel to attach to your belt or have on the sideline.

Hand warmers: Optional, cost $5-20 These are nice to have on those cold nights in the spring even at practice, especially for those players who will be handling the ball!

Gear bag: Optional, cost $20-150

With all this stuff to haul around, you might need a new bag to hold it all. Some players use roller suitcases on game day, but most of us have some kind of “football bag” that goes everywhere we do.

Undergarments: Various styles and prices

If you’re a “standard” size person with a B/C cup or below, a decent sports bra and maybe some new underwear will do just fine. We do recommend a boxer brief or boy short style if you don’t want things to ride up too much. Jockey for Her and Hanes Her Way have some good options. But we’ve seen thongs and Victoria’s Secret in the locker room as well, so you do you.

For women who are larger of body or bosom, consider the Enell brand of sports bra or a full-body shaper under your gear. If you have questions, get with a veteran who’s about your size, & they’ll get you squared away.

Shoulder Pads designed for women

Recommended but not required. Good for more endowed women!

The Zena 25 is recommended for running backs, wide receivers, defensive backs, linebackers,

and kickers.

The Zena DZ is recommended for offensive and defensive line as well as tight ends, centers, and long snappers.