Football Sizes Chart

Football Sizes ChartOne of the most common questions we run across with our monthly football kicking camps and clinics is “what size football should I be using?”

Is there a football sizes chart of some sort that I can refer to?  The answer is, yes, there are different football sizes depending on what age you are.

As a kicker early on, you definitely want to be kicking the right football!  A young kicker showed up this week going into the 8th grade. He had one football to kick and it was for high school level kickers.

Could he kick it? Sure, but do you really WANT to kick a football that is too big and heavy for your age? Absolutely not. He was more effective with the smaller football size (Youth football sizes come right before high school)!

Football Sizes Can Be Confusing!

So, let’s take a look at some of the sizes that are appropriate. I’ve made this quick football sizes chart just for the occasion.  PLEASE CHECK WITH YOUR SCHOOL OR TEAM to be sure, but these are general guidelines based on what we see around our schools in North Georgia.

Here is the official list from sporting goods retailers….I’m not including ‘Pee Wee’ on our chart above because I don’t typically see kids this young trying to kick a football!

We see the bulk of kids in the 7th grade and up, even JUST getting started (and it’s when Scott and I both started kicking footballs as well).

  • Official (Size 9): High School, Collegiate and Pro Level
  • Youth (Size 8): For ages 12 – 14 (7th-8th grade)
  • Junior (Size 7): For ages 10 – 12 (6th Grade)
  • Pee Wee (Size 6): For ages 9 and younger (Up to the 5th grade)
  • Check with your local league or organization before purchasing!

Football Kicking Holder: ColossusIn addition to the various sizes, there are also two basic styles (each with a different price tag).

When shopping for footballs regardless of the football sizes, you’ll look for one of two styles (leather or traditional pig skin and/or composite)

If you are interested in the real game football, go with leather.  These are generally the more expensive of the two but they are what you will be using more than likely in a game.  The bad part about a leather practice ball is if the grass is wet for any reason, these leather balls will soak up the water and get HEAVY.

So, consider the less expensive ‘composite‘ footballs, again, regardless of the football size you choose to purchase.  Composite footballs are less expensive, repel the water that weigh down leather balls, and they make a great practice ball at a reasonable price!