How to Create an Organized Sports Zone

Soccer season is upon us, and that means cleats, soccer socks, shin guards and soccer balls EVERYWHERE!  I have two kids who play plus my husband coaches, so he has a huge bag of practice gear to add to the collection of soccer equipment.   In past seasons, we've tried to contain all of these supplies in our mudroom, but it seemed like we were constantly tripping over equipment but yet the kids could never find a clean pair of socks or a matching set of shin guards!

Over the past few years, I've tried to figure out how to keep sports equipment organized and accessible while not overwhelming my entire mudroom., but it just wasn't working.  I had shoes in one spot, socks and shin guards in another and soccer balls in yet another.  Because I had created 'homes' for items all over the place, no one ever put them away.  I realized last season that I needed a system not individual solutions for my sports equipment problems!  I think I finally got it figured out with the sports zone that I created just outside the door to my attached garage.  Here's how I created it:

Identify the Problem(s)
I needed to determine everything I wanted to accomplish so I could create ONE solution to solve all the problems at once.  The problems were:

1. Equipment taking up too much space in my mudroom.
2. Kids had trouble finding equipment when they needed it.
3. Equipment couldn't all fit in same area in the room I was trying to store it.
4. Items weren't getting put away!

Visualize the Ideal Scenario and Find the Right Space
Think about what the ideal solution to the problems you identified would be.  Look at magazines, browse Pinterest and look at how friends and family have organized similar items.  Don't be afraid to "steal" ideas from others.  

Now that you know what you need to fix and the best way to fix it, start finding the right space.  I had been looking in the same room trying to reconfigure the space I was having problems with, and it wasn't until I realized that I need to think outside that room, did I find the best space for my sports zone.   I knew that I wanted drawers and shelves and bins.  I didn't have space for those things in the room I'd been using, so I went to the garage and starting looking around.  I found a small space that had been used for smashing and storing aluminum cans before turning them in for a few bucks.  Since we got our Soda Stream machine, we barely drink canned soda anymore, so this area was basically useless.  We moved a trashcan, a small recycle bin and removed the can smasher from the wall and had a blank canvas for sports storage.

Measure and Install the "Bones"
Measure, measure, measure -  the most important aspect of your sports zone is making sure the items you need to store fit!  Purchase or re-purpose items that are specific to what you want to store.  It was important to me to have drawers because I'd be storing clothing (uniforms and socks) in the garage, and I wanted them free from dirt or dust.   I reused some plastic drawers I already had, and we purchased three shelf boards and six brackets from the hardware store.  Consider the height and the space between shelves so that the items you store there are easily accessible.  The shelves we installed are sometimes accessed from the garage, but other times from the steps, which means that we were able to put shelves up higher and maximize that vertical space. 

Edit, Edit, Edit!
My space is a sports station, but I focus on the current sports season and don't try to keep all equipment for all sports in this area all the time.  Right now I have one tote in the basement for off-season sports stuff - all sizes of baseball pants are in a vacuum bag to save space, and cleats that are too big (we get our cleats at garage sales and save them for little brother!)  are in a trash bag.  I put socks and hats each in gallon size zippered bags.  I don't separate by size or kid because they grow so much from season to season, everything has to be tried on anyway!  We keep bats, mits, balls in the garage year round because there's a chance those will get played with in the backyard during the off-season. ​

​​Load and Label
Now you have a blank slate, fill it up!  Be sure to add labels so that it's easy for your family to put things back where they belong!  I have a set of three drawers and labelled the top two with each kid's name where we keep their socks, favorite shin guards, and uniforms.  The bottom drawer is for things like a blanket that we may use to sit on at a soccer game.  I keep two plastic shoe boxes (no lids) on top of the drawers labelled with a kid's name for their cleats.  I have LOVED this because no more clumps of dirt from cleats all over my floor - they go in from the garage, deposit their cleats in the shoe box before they come inside.  There is a bin for soccer balls, and a shelf for my husband's coach gear.  I have a shelf helper hanging underneath the bottom shelf where I have a plastic shoe box filled with extra shin guards (just in case we lose the favorites!)  Because there's actually EXTRA space now, I have a shelf where I'm keeping my Cargo Carry All bag that I can throw everything I need for a day at the field!  Because it has a lid, I'm storing a small soft-sided cooler inside that I may take to save on concessions!   A bin of baseballs and mits fit nicely on that shelf as well.  The very top shelf houses baseball bags filled with bats and helmets.  We even have room on the floor for the chairs we take to sit on as we cheer on our kiddos.

​Maintain
To make this work and and assure that your kids aren't running around in a panic before their games looking for their uniform and cleats, you have to train them to maintain this system.  When they get home from practice or a game, send them straight to the sports zone to unload.  When laundry is done, have your kids take their sports accessories straight to their labelled bin or drawer.   

I hope that creating a sports zone will help you feel a little more 'in order' during the busy sports seasons ahead!  I'd love to see pictures of how you organize your kids (or your own) sports equipment!