The Best Insoles for Soccer Cleats – Let’s Significantly Reduce or Fully Eliminate Your Kids’ Foot Pain

Do you have a child who plays soccer and is experiencing foot and leg pain? The best insoles for soccer cleats can fit inside your kids’ soccer cleats and reduce the impact that your kids’ feet and legs take every time they come in contact with the ground. There are many different sport insoles for children, but there are just a few that provide the correct amount of support.

Playing soccer involves a lot of stress and strain exerted on the foot’s muscles, tendons, ligaments, and bones.  Hence, your child is especially vulnerable to foot/leg  pain and injuries due to wearing cleats that lack arch and heel support. The insole that I recommend will not only provide extra cushioned shock absorption and protection from the studded cleats, it will also provide a solid foundation from the feet through the entire skeletal structure.

There have been several families who have come to the specialized shoe store that I work for with their children experiencing foot and leg pain which increased when they played soccer. This insole has proven to be the most effective one when it comes to reducing or fully eliminating kids’ foot and leg pain.

Soccer cleats don’t provide a lot of cushion and support. If you remove your child’s soccer insoles you will notice how they are super thin, meaning that they don’t provide any support or shock absorption.

When children play soccer they make short, quick lateral, forward and backward movements, making footwork an important skill. This means that they are stressing out their feet and legs at a whole different level. There is a lot of sudden stops involved in soccer as well as quick direction movement changes.

The good news is that I have fitted two particular insoles that are specifically designed to absorb impact, are durable, and they come with antibacterial properties. 

What Makes the Insoles I Recommend the Best Choice to Fit Inside Cleats?

1️⃣ Deep and supportive heel cup with extra cushion and support right below the child’s heels. This feature helps position the child’s heels to naturally absorb and soften the impact from the ground.

2️⃣ Stabilizer cap acts as the base of the insole that supports the rearfoot

These features are going to minimize the impact that your kids’ feet and legs take when playing soccer, which is going to significantly reduce or fully eliminate your child’s foot and leg pain.

Below you can find the best insoles for soccer cleats. Disclosure: Some links in this post may be affiliate links and we may receive a small commission (at no extra cost to you) when you click our links and make purchases.

The Best Insoles for Soccer Cleats

These are medium-profile insoles with a shape that can fit into most footwear while providing intermediate support. 

Do You Need to Remove the Original Insoles of the Shoes?

Yes, you will have to remove your child’s original shoe insoles before placing the new ones inside the cleats. If you place these insoles on top of your kids’ original insoles, you will raise your kids’ feet too much and give your children the impression that their feet are coming out of the shoes. The other disadvantage is that the top part of your kids’ feet — instep— will rub against the top part of the shoes.

The insole I recommend is affordable which is important considering children’s feet are constantly growing. They also offer professional-grade orthotic support, performance, and comfort. One of the greatest advantages of these insoles is that they fit the contour of the foot the best and are the most durable ones I have found on the market.

You can even use this insole in your child’s everyday sneakers for extra support, you won’t even have to buy an additional pair, you can simply switch them between shoes.

This insole has proven to be the most effective one when it comes to reducing kids’ foot and leg pain especially when they are playing soccer. If your children have been experiencing arch, heel, knee, or leg pain during their soccer games, it’s time to provide them with relief and allow them to focus on the game and not their feet hurting.

If your child happens to wear a shoe size smaller than 11.5, please contact me directly and I will help you find an alternative insole that is available in your child’s size.

How to Fit the Insoles Inside Your Kids’ Cleats?

You will use the original insoles of your child’s shoes to make sure that the new insoles match that same length.

Fit Instructions:

1️⃣ Remove the original shoe insoles from your kids’ shoes.

2️⃣ Turn both the original insoles and the new insoles so they face down. Place the original insole on top of the new insole:

a) line up both the backs of the heel and

b) the inside edges, and then

c) use a pen to trace the outline onto the new insole.

3️⃣ Trim. Cut along the outside of the trace line, that way if it is still too long, you will be able to trim it a little more.

4️⃣ Insert & Test. Put the trimmed insole into the shoe.

Are Your Kids’ Soccer Cleats Contributing to Your Child’s Pain?

Please note that a large number of children were experiencing foot and leg pain during soccer due to wearing soccer cleats that were too narrow. If you believe this might be the case with your child please scroll down to the end of the article where I describe the best soccer cleats for children with wide or extra wide feet.

Soccer Cleats for Kids with Foot Pain – Supportive, Lightweight, Flexible!

This insole is capable of fitting inside most soccer cleats, but keep in mind that it is going to be more effective if it’s fitted in a pair of deeper and supportive cleats.

Certain soccer cleats can make your child’s foot pain worse, so I want you to keep a close eye on this as your child’s cleats might be the direct cause of your child’s foot and leg pain.

For your children to get the full benefits that the insole has to offer, you need to make sure that the soccer cleats that your child is wearing provide the following 3 important features:

1️⃣ Ankle Support: The soccer cleats must come with a firm heel counter to minimize the impact that your kids’ ankles take every time they come in contact with the ground. Always check if your kids’ soccer cleats come with a firm heel counter before you buy them. If your child’s soccer cleats have a soft heel counter, you will defeat the whole purpose of the insoles.

You can check if your child’s soccer cleats come with a firm heel counter by pressing on the following area of the cleat:

2️⃣ Lightweight and Flexible: This feature helps prevent your child’s feet and legs from easily getting tired.

3️⃣ Substantial Outsole: This feature provides cushioning and comfort, and minimizes the impact on your child’s feet and legs. The cleats must provide a substantial outsole to hold the new insole in place.

If you happen to need a pair of soccer cleats for your child, then take a lot at the most supportive style that is capable of fitting children with medium, wide, or extra wide feet.

The Best Soccer Cleats that Accommodate Insoles

Please note that another common reason why several children complained about foot and leg pain during soccer was wearing soccer cleats that were too narrow.

These insoles are high quality and will last your children a long time — they usually wear them anywhere from 6 to 12 months — as long as they are trimmed properly.

How to Tie Your Kids’ Soccer Cleats?

I created a different resource that describes the most effective way to tie your kids’ sports shoes and it will also help keep the insoles in place.

Is there any other type of insole that you can recommend for children who have foot and leg pain during soccer games? Please let us know in the comments section below so other parents can benefit from your experiences.