The development of KEEPER BALM came about due to the limited capabilities of foam latex – the primary component of modern goalkeeper gloves.
As most experienced goalkeepers will tell you, the gripping power of foam latex will always fade as the PORES fill with salt and dirt, sapping the natural pliability and moisture that latex foam has when it is clean and free of debris. While washing your gloves will help in the short term, the ingredients in most detergents have their own drying (anionic) properties, as their primary job is to absorb things, like dirt and oil.
MIKE SLATTON
I’m Mike Slatton, a nearly 40-year youth soccer coach and lifelong soccer player (mostly goalkeeper). My mother was my first soccer coach and one of the first female youth coaches to get licensed by the U.S. Soccer Federation in 1980, which only began licensing youth coaches in 1970. Even today, female coaches are a distinct minority in ALL sports.
KEEPER BALM started as an idea in 2015. The grip of my West Coast and Aviata goalkeeper gloves was fading and I needed a solution. I tried all the usuals: hair spray, Vasoline, Gatorade… and while they were all a good, temporary fix, the side effects were actually detrimental. So I started doing research, learned a little chemistry, and developed a product for my own personal needs.
For a couple of years, I just used it myself and gave it to the GKs I was coaching. Almost immediately, parents began insisting on paying me for it, but I refused… until word of mouth started to spread and giving it away became too expensive. To keep my “hobby” going, I created a website and started offering KEEPER BALM on keeperbalm.com & Amazon.
KEEPER BALM TESTING
Since buying new gloves for testing was also getting expensive, I found out where West Coast and Aviata were making their gloves (Sialkot, Pakistan) and created my own brands (Huracan & Victoire, sold on gkglove.com).
To get more feedback faster, I gave away a stick of KEEPER BALM with every glove order. That’s when sales really started to increase… and also when I started feeling overwhelmed. Eventually, the customer service of the gloves became too much for me to manage, so I sold the glove company to one of my favorite brand ambassadors – George Harvey of Phoenix, AZ, and got back to my real passion: KEEPER BALM.
A half-dozen years after I started actually selling KB, I began selling it all over the world – one stick at a time. I still make it myself, label & package it in the garage.
Help Other Goalkeepers Save Money!
KEEPER BALM is a goalkeeper glove CONDITIONER that was developed to save players money from having to buy new goalkeeper gloves unnecessarily. Over the years, we’ve learned that 1 stick of KEEPER BALM will last 2 to 3 YEARS since you don’t need to apply it every 30 minutes like sprays. On new gloves, simply apply it liberally once, then just keep your gloves clean and apply a light coating once in a while to maintain the exceptional grip that you initially paid for. This routine will help your gloves maintain exceptional grip for the life of the gloves.
Want to Spread the Word?
If you bought a stick of KEEPER BALM and it met or exceeded your expectations, will you help me make the brand even better by leaving a review?
And if it doesn’t do what you expect, will you send me a message with some REAL feedback? Occasionally we (I) do screw up and put out a bad batch. If this happens, and you KEEPER BAL does not meet your expectations, please contact us and let us know. We will make it right!
Again, I truly appreciate you taking an interest in KEEPER BALM and taking the time to browse the site. I also look forward to your unbiased feedback on future products.
Mike Slatton
Lead Chemist at Pro Level Gear LLC (maker of KEEPER BALM®)
£44.27