The silhouette of football boots that we see today was not the same since its inception. It has evolved and improved over time with the help of research work and technological developments. Let’s find out more.
Footballers used to play without shoes before 1891. In some parts of the world, only socks were worn. But in some regions, people used to wear office shoes. These shoes had rock-solid toes and were made of steel sometimes.
Theses shoes were never designed to kick a ball yet people used to wear them because of the unavailability of any other option. The passion for football was so high that despite getting injuries by wearing these shoes, they didn’t stop playing. There was no grip on the outsoles of these shoes because of which slipping through the grass was very common.
In 1891, national bodies of football felt that shortcoming and an amendment was done in football regulations allowing players to wear shoes that had small studs or something which could help players maintain their grip on the ground.
This placed a foundation stone for football shoes and many shoe-makers came forward to meet this specific demand. Italy, Uruguay, and France were the pioneer countries of this breakthrough.
In the early decades of the 1900s, the demand for football shoes fell sharply because of World War aftermath. After World War II, the interest in playing sports took a flight, and the demand for sports shoes witnessed an extraordinary hike. During this period, immense technology and research work were carried out.
As a result, lighter and flexible football shoes came into being. These shoes became more popular in southern sides of Europe and America because surfaces there were less muddy as compared to England where there were mud-covered surfaces.
After 1950, upgraded quality of football boots was introduced. The selling point of these shoes was plastic-molded or metallic studs. These studs allowed footballers to play comfortably in different conditions around the world and were largely used in professional football.
By 1970, the evolution of shoes reached its peak. Football shoes became even lighter. Eye-catching colors were used and several designers came forward to print graphics and designs on them. Research and experimentation reached a new milestone when «Predator» by a well-known company was introduced. This became a new sensation because of rubber strips and stronger material toe design.
Soon after this development, many professional footballers were offered to endorse different brands of football shoes. Advertisements were made and commercialization of football shoes was started. In the late 90s, soles were made even flexible that offered comfort for footballers allowing them to play more games comfortably.
In short, this was the history of football shoes. The latest development in this regard can be witnessed these days in the form of laser technology. This technology will allow you to stitch a customized pair of shoes based on your exact size and playing style. Not only that, studs these days look like blades. Some football shoemakers have also introduced micro-chip technology that helps in tracking these shoes; however, they are rarely used.
Camisetas Entrenamiento Liverpool FC Información corporativa y noticias relevantes sobre Driblab, la consultora especializada en análisis deportivos especializada en fútbol.