Soccer boots: function not fashion

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Soccer boots: function not fashion

Soccer boots appear to change with a predictable frequency that has more to do with looks than a player’s functional needs or preventing injury. Your average pub or Sunday league player is more likely to buy a pair of boots that are worn by the latest premiership sensation than a pair that is right for their feet. If they stop to consider some of the following basic facts, function might start to take priority over fashion:

* A player will typically travel up to 12km during a match, making more than 500 ground/foot contacts per kilometre
* The average player spends 50% of the match running and has up to 300 contacts with the ball.

So what should budding Beckhams look for in a football boot? Mike Healy writing in Medicine Matters (‘Considerations in football boot selection’, Medicine Matters2005; 11:10-13, pub UEFA), points us in the right direction.