Kids grow fast so when it comes to pricey sports kit, you’ll save yourself a fortune if you “swap before you shop”.
From football boots and astro runners to jerseys, shorts, team tracksuits, gloves and hurleys – buying new is pricey. And kids can grow like weeds, so none of it fits for very long.
You can be sure there’s a kid in your sports club for whom your kid’s old kit is the perfect fit – but how can you connect with them? This is where sports clubs are well placed to join the dots.
By organising a gear and boot swap, clubs can keep kit circulating locally while easing the financial burden on parents. A swap will reduce the waste generated by your club – and if it’s done as a fundraiser, you’ll raise some money too.
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Gear swaps work well for players of all ages, but are particularly useful for younger teams, where players often outgrow gear and boots that are still in great condition, says government site MyWaste.ie.
It provides help for clubs wanting to implement simple and effective ways to be more sustainable.
When it comes to buying stuff, we do need help. Ireland consumes a huge volume of new textiles each year – 292,000 tonnes were imported in 2019, of which 65 per cent was clothing and footwear, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
We have one of the highest per capita consumption rates of textile products in the EU, consuming 53kg per person per year, says the EPA.
Many clothing items, particularly sports gear, are made from plastic-based synthetic fibres. Their manufacture causes pollution. Wearing them, washing them and tumble-drying them sheds harmful microplastics into our environment and waterways too.
That’s why circularity is so important. This is about preventing waste by keeping resources in use for as long as possible, through repairing, sharing and recycling more. By doing this, we extract the maximum value from them.
Gear swaps achieve exactly that. You might even want to expand your swap to non-club items – you’ll find plenty of parents delighted to accept your child’s too-small Premier League football kit.
