Football boot
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Football boots, like all footwear, come in various sizes and styles. Originally they were available in black, but in more recent years come in various colours (such as bright red, white, yellow and silver).
In association football Law 4: Player's equipment of the Laws of the Game deals with football boots. Until 1891 studs any kind of projection on the soles or heels of football boots was strictly forbidden. The 1891 revision allows both studs and bars, so long as they were made of leather and did not project more than half an inch, and they had their fastenings driven in flush with the leather. Studs had to be rounded, neither conical nor pointed and not less than half an inch in diameter. The leather studs were originally hammered into the boots on a semi-permanent basis and players would have several pairs of boots with different length studs, but in the mid 1950s Adidas introduced boots with interchangeable screw-in studs made of rubber or plastic for varying weather conditions. Football boots were originally heavy boots with protection for the ankle, and these remained the standard style of boot in northern Europe for many years where the boots needed to stand up to the rigours of use on muddy winter pitches. A lighter boot without ankle protection and resembling a studded shoe became popular in southern Europe and South America where pitches were generally harder and less muddy and this eventually became the standard style.
Depending on the type of surface, the sport, and even the player's position, different cuts of boot, and particularly stud arrangements, are available. For hard fields amateur participants may wear a sneaker shoe, grasscat, bladed or molded plastic stud boot; in most sports and positions this is adequate, although on a well-grassed or sodden field, a screw stud is recommended for more grip; these may be metal, rubber or plastic.
For rugby football the screw-in stud (or in some cases a metal-tipped, molded stud) is preferred, especially in the rugby union positions of prop, hooker, and lock, where more grip is required for contested scrums. These boots are often heavier than appropriate for other types of football.
Screw-in studs have been banned in some Australian rules football leagues since the 1990s due to the frequency of severe injuries to players as a result of contact with the metal. In football (soccer), referees must now check all boots prior to kick off to check for damage to studs, to prevent injury. Before this time, preference between the screw-in stud was based primarily on weather conditions. More recently, moulded soles with specially designed boots known as blades have moulded cleats soles facing in the multiple directions of movement to maximise grip and minimise ankle injury.
In the United States the shoes used for soccer, baseball and American football are known simply as "cleats" because of the studs protruding from the sole of the shoe.
External links
- [Football Boots Blog]
- [Caring for your Football Boots]
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