The team email lists uniforms, water bottles, and the practice schedule. It doesn’t list the 18 things that decide if the weekend goes well or ends with a 9pm drive to Walmart.

For the kid

  1. Two pairs of cleats or court shoes (one inevitably gets soaked or breaks)
  2. Three pairs of game socks plus three pairs of regular socks
  3. Two pairs of compression shorts or sliders
  4. A second jersey (for mud, blood, or a uniform-color swap at the field)
  5. An extra mouthguard
  6. Powdered electrolyte sticks (cheaper and lighter than bottled sports drinks)
  7. A clearly labeled water bottle that holds at least 24 ounces
  8. Broad-spectrum sunscreen and a hat for between games (the AAP says SPF 15 to 50 works and to reapply every 2 hours and after sweating)
  9. A small first-aid kit: athletic tape, blister bandages, instant ice packs, and any medication your kid’s doctor already has them on
  10. Quiet snacks: banana, peanut butter sandwich, granola bar, pretzels

For the family

  1. A folding camp chair or two for the sideline
  2. A small cooler with ice
  3. Cash for parking, the snack bar, or vending machines
  4. The hotel address and phone number on paper, in case your phone dies
  5. The team’s hotel block code or your booking confirmation
  6. Phone chargers and a backup battery pack
  7. Layers (early-morning fields are cold, midday fields are hot)
  8. A book or a downloaded show for the in-between hours

Summer weekends need more than this list. The heat-safety packing checklist covers shade and cooling, and the 11-12 version of this list adds a hotel kit for older kids.

The night before and the morning of

Pack the kid’s bag the night before, with them watching. At 7am Saturday, they’ll know exactly where the extra mouthguard is, and you won’t be the one digging for it.

Freeze a few water bottles overnight and drop them in the cooler in the morning. They work as ice, then become drinking water.

Order pizza to the room on Friday so the family doesn’t burn an hour at a restaurant. Save the sit-down dinner for Saturday, after the day’s games, and plan the rest with the travel-weekend food plan.

Build the list once. Reuse it next tournament, plus whatever you forgot this time.