Hanging on the inside of the closet door?

We are retired and don't play many sports now, but my son did and so did we when he was home. The furnace area of our house has an unfinished ceiling. My husband nailed 1x3's across a couple of joists and our skis and poles fit nicely in the space between. He put a piece of pegboard with a couple of narrow shelves on one wall and it held everything from balls and bats to tennis rackets and balls to archery equipment.

During the summer, tennis rackets and a couple of tubes of balls stay in the van(you never know when you might have a spare hour.) In the winter they are in the garage tucked away in an old dresser.

Basketball and soccer balls stay in a large metal locker in the garage.

Baseball bats, mitts, and baseballs stay in that old dresser.

Skis and poles have wall storage in the garage. Skates are kept in the other side of that metal locker.

Golf clubs stay in DH's SUV during the summer and the garage in the winter.

Life vests and wet suits are kept in a canoe which is hoisted to the ceiling of the garage. Oars are also kept there.

One football stays in the minivan all the time. The rest stay in DS1 & DS2's bedrooms. Flags and cones for flag football stay in the van from August - Thanksgiving. After they're used for Turkey Bowl, they're put away in the aforementioned sports dresser in the garage. Football pads are kept in DS1's closet. DS2 isn't yet old enough for contact football.

Lacrosse gear is everywhere. The foyer, LR, FR, BRs, cars, yard, everywhere.

Since you say your house has tiny closets, you are going to have to find nooks and crannies inside your home and garage where you can stash things. Others have given some great suggestions.

I also want to add that if you can make furniture double as a storage device, you will not need to rely on closets as much. One example is an ottoman with a hinged lid that can be used to stow stuff. Another example is a piano bench with a hinged top -- store stuff inside. You get the idea...

I wish you good luck figuring out some new storage areas in your home.

Oh, I just had one more idea. Those 3M adhesive hooks are extremely handy, because they can be removed with littler or no damage to the wall. They might make it easier to find places to store stuff, since you won't have to be reluctant about pounding a nail into the wall. Hope this helps.