Portable & Folding Soccer Benches
If you have ever coached a youth team, you should have a pretty clear image of how useful a portable soccer bench can be. Especially during the matches and tournaments. Keeping all of your players close to you and parents away from the players’ area, reminding them not to stand too close to sidelines, making sure that everyone gets equal playing time and that they cheer for the team… Those are just some of the problems you need to worry about. The easiest way to solve most of these problems is to have the player area neatly organized.
And this is quickest done by having a proper bench. Most of the soccer venues you will visit will not have benches, so it is smart to equip yourself with a portable team bench.
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Portable Soccer Bench Reviews
At online retailers, you can find a real cornucopia of folding sports benches. I would like to, based on my personal experience or of people I know, help you find the best one for your team.
Trademark Innovations
Trademark Innovations is not one of the well-known brands, but they have some very affordable products. This is a folding team bench that will not break your bank. And be aware, it is neither the most durable nor the most feature-rich product. It is a 6-seater sideline bench with the backrests. It has a very sturdy steel frame that can last you several years with a little bit of care. And you will know that it is steel, as it weighs 25 pounds. One of the most significant issues people are having with this product is the way vertical rods are inserted into the fabric.
Many are reporting that rivets that hold fabric are coming off easily. But this is an expected issue with foldable chairs that have seating and backing made of a single piece. And in this price range, it has unsurpassed quality and having to purchase a new one every season or two might not be an issue. It comes with a carry bag, which is neither the best nor the worst.
Pros
- Very affordable
- Excellent price to quality ratio
Cons
- Not the most durable
- Lacks some useful additional features
QuickPlay PRO Folding Bench
QuickPlay is a well-known sporting equipment producer. And their Pro Folding Bench is of a certain level of quality, which deserves a place on my list. It comes as 4-, 6-, or 9-seater. And they weigh roughly 20, 25, and 30+ pounds. Compared to the Trademark Innovation’s folding sideline bench, this one has a bit sturdier construction. The “legs” are made not just of the X members, but also have the vertical ones. This makes them not just sturdier but also more stable. That is when someone is sitting on them. If you use it in the windy conditions, even the 9-seater can easily be flipped over or blown away.
The seating part has reinforcement on the underside, which promises decent durability. How much QuickPlay is confident in their own product best says the fact that they provide a 2-year warranty on parts. It comes with a carry bag, which is decent enough. But it is not sturdy enough to carry the largest sideline bench.
Pros
- Durable construction
- 2-year warranty
Cons
- Carry bag is not a sturdiest
- Lacks some useful additional features
Insta-Bench Classic 6-Seater
This is another one among more affordable folding soccer benches. It has the leg construction, which something of a cross between the previous two. It has vertical members, but only at the ends and in the middle. In itself, this is not an issue, but it indicates durability that is between the previous two portable sports benches. Insta-Bench market this product as weatherproof. Seating is made of polyester cloth with waterproof backing. While it is waterproof, the used glue is of dubious quality. You should be careful that this soccer team bench doesn’t have backrests.
Another thing I have found that needs a bit of attention is the bolts. Generally, any foldable object you should be checking nuts and bolts after every few uses. Just from opening and closing, they can become loose. This is not the best portable soccer bench in the world, but it is good enough. It also features a handy storage pocket on one side. So you will have where to put a tactics board or water bottles when you don’t use them.
Pros
- Very affordable
- Comes with a useful storage pocket
Cons
- Though without backrests it’s a bit heavier than expected
Kwik Goal 6-Seat
The Kwik Bench is a folding sports bench with back that looks almost exactly as the QuickPlay product. But fortunately, it is not quite the same one. I have never had an opportunity to compare them side by side, but the material it is made of, mainly the nylon cloth, seems to be of higher quality. While you usually can’t be sure whether some canopy is made of polyester or nylon, for Kwik Bench, you can be confident it is the nylon. And in my and friend’s experience, these foldable sports benches can last you almost half a dozen seasons.
You should be aware that it is a bit heavier than many competitors, but it is an excellent investment. But, not everything is perfect about this product. While the bench is very good, in my experience and of many other owners, the carry bag is not. It leaves a lot to be desired, and seams tend to start ripping after just a few uses. Also, there is an odd variability in their sizes. Sometimes the bench comes in a bag which is a bit too small.
Pros
- Very durable
Cons
- Carry bag is subpar
- Lacks some useful additional features
GoTeam! Pro
When it comes to soccer chairs for players, you will be hard-pressed to find better than GoTeam! Pro benches. They come in two versions, with backrests and without. And also in three sizes, for 4, 6, or 8. While the most common size of seats is around 17 inches, on this portable bench seat is 19.5 inches wide. And this 6-seater with backrest weighs almost 30 pounds, which makes it one of the heaviest folding soccer benches. Seating and backs are made of two layers of 600 denier nylon material and are lightly padded.
Though padding is kind of thin, it is a very rare feature and a very welcome one. If you are not familiar with deniers and other measurements of yarn quality, I will give you a simple comparison. Military duffel bags, which are expected to be thrown and dragged on sand and concrete, are usually made of 500 denier single layer cloth. Yarn of this folding soccer bench is 20% thicker. GoTeam Pro also features a 3-pockets organizer, which is very useful, and every seat has a sturdy bottle holder.
Pros
- Very durable
- Rich additional features
- Extra-wide seats
Cons
- Weight
Net World Sports Multi-Sport
If you are looking for a soccer team bench with canopy, you will be sorely disappointed. Benches and covers are usually marketed separately, and portable covered soccer benches are a rarity. But, Net World Sports owners of FORZA brand have one such product. This is not a soccer bench with canopy, but a canopy with which you can optionally get a set of 8 connected soccer team chairs. Chairs have a very different design from other products on my list. And the design is very sturdy, though they lack the backrests.
Because of weight and size, this is not the most practical product. But of all the soccer benches with cover, I had the opportunity to help set up this one is the easiest. Wires connect all parts, so it is just a matter of putting them together. Unfortunately, this takes time and is easier done by two adults. But this is an issue with any team bench with canopy. On the other hand, soccer bench seats are very sturdy though they run a bit too narrow.
Pros
- Excellent protection from elements
Cons
- Weight
- Awkward to set up
- Price
How to Choose the Best Collapsible Team Benches
Just like foldable chairs, portable team benches are very easy to produce. Thus there is an abundance of products at a very low price and even lower quality. Because of that, you must be careful when trying to pick the best sideline chairs for soccer or any other team sport. There are a few characteristics you should be mindful of.
Durability
Cheap products are usually not very durable. And the most common way to make savings on soccer benches costs is to use low-quality canopy material. If under fingers material feels thin and flexible, you can be certain it will not last very long. While many manufacturers advertise their products as being able to withstand 200-300 pounds per seat, that is the static weight. And kids are not sacks of sand, and even when sitting, they are moving. And that is an entirely different strain on the material. If seats are made of polyester and advertised with 200 pounds capacity, you can be confident that a kid of 40-50 pounds will rip it in no time.
Capacity
For any team sport, such as soccer bench chairs number is very important. Especially if you are a youth coach and need something to keep all your players where you can easily find them. And keeping kids interested in anything for more than a few minutes can be challenging. Keeping them in seats, in my experience, really gets them to concentrate on watching their teammates play. So you must make sure that you have enough chairs for all your players.
FAQs
- Do I need a foldable soccer bench?
If you are a youth team coach, you have experienced how hard it is to keep all of the equipment and players organized during the matches. Being able to organize a proper team space on sidelines really sorts many of your potential problems.
- Do kids like to sit in them?
My experience, and of youth coaches I know, is that kids love them. Kids engaged in team sports actually take quite great pride in anything that is “team’s”. You can trust me when I say that they will love their soccer team benches.
- Are these benches complicated to assemble/dismantle?
Most of the ones I had experience with are very easy to use. Assembling them consists of just simply pulling one side until they are stretch to full length. But the bigger ones, with 8 or 9 seats you might find it useful to have another person to help you. The only potential problem could be putting them back in carrying bags. Someone might call it a soccer team chair, but it’s actually several chairs connected together. And putting in them requires a bit of special technique.
Conclusion
If you are a youth team coach, a portable soccer bench can be a lifesaver. When playing matches as a coach, it is your job to keep an eye on all of your players. Kids will be kids, and you can expect them to be bored while they are waiting on their turn to enter the game. As you probably know, they will continuously wander around the pitch, and you will have to remind them often to stay further from the sidelines. Not to mention overly engaged parents, which can be a nuisance of sorts. Having a team bench would allow you to organize a player’s area where you would have everything under control. And, surprisingly, for some people, kids take pride in their team’s equipment. They see on TV grownup players sitting on benches in dugouts, and kids being kids like to emulate grownups. So, instead of expecting to have problems making them sit on it, they will be more than happy to.
If you still feel as if not being able to choose the best bench for your team, my suggestion is the Go Team! Pro. It is an extremely durable, high-quality foldable bench. And also comes with several features you will find very useful during games.