Where to Buy Soccer Shoes & Football Boots

Whether you're hoping to find a pair of soccer shoes like the ones Ronaldhino or Robinho wears, or you just need a pair of top flight football boots for your own matches, here are a few of the best places to look for them.

The Most Coveted in Soccer Shoes

While the fab Pro-Direct Soccer site carries just about everything related to football, the "Boot Room" is an absolute must-see. In addition to carrying all of the major brands like Adidas, Nike, Puma, Umbro and Lotto, Pro-Direct also carries many limited editions and exclusives, and offers a slew of great information. If you're in the UK, don't forget to request your free copy of the Pro-Direct Boot Bible.

Great Selection in Football Boots & More

Nike, Umbro, Adidas, Diadora, Le Coq Sportif and several other brands can be found at World Soccer Shop, and with the ability to pre-order new releases, it's a great way to see what's in store in the world of soccer shoes. Several limited edition boots are available on this site, and it's also a great place to check for women's, juniors, and indoor soccer shoes, as well as a plethora of other football merchandise and gear.

Reviews of Soccer Shoes and Free US Shipping

As one of the biggest shoe sites on the web, Zappos is always a good place to check for any shoes. Being a shoe site, and not a football site, their selection isn't as big as the previous sites mentioned, but they do have a good offering from Nike, Adidas, Puma, Diadora and Lotto, including both cleats and indoor soccer shoes. As an added bonus, US shipping and return shipping is free, and their user reviews can be immensely helpful when it comes to sizing and comfort.

written by, Desiree Stimpert

Before You Buy Football Boots

Due to the sheer variety of surfaces that soccer can be played on, there are a vast array of different types of football boots (or soccer cleats as they are known in North America) for players to choose from.

From synthetic plastic uppers to Adidas revolutionary "Predator" design, the choices on offer can be mind boggling even for the experienced player. We'll investigate some areas to give you a better knowledge of what you should be looking for when buying football boots.

Types of football boot upper

As with most footwear, the benefit of spending a little more at the cash register is often felt when the product in question is worn. Football boots are no different and in many regards are one of the best examples of this "rule".

Cheap synthetic plastic uppers are satisfactory for the occasional player but for those playing at a higher standard there are comfort and "feel" benefits from buying a kangaroo leather upper or one of the modern lightweight hi-tech synthetic boots.

What type of studs should I look for?

The type of studs you need all depends on what surfaces you will be playing on.

Astro turf trainers, known for their dozens of short rubber studs underfoot, are obviously for best use on synthetic pitches.

For dry grass pitches, choose moulded studs. They are a little longer and give more grip on grass than trainers but are still comfortable enough to wear on hard ground.

For wet or muddy pitches always buy removable studs. They provide maximum grip on soft ground for running and turning.

How useful are Adidas Predator boots?

Adidas manufacture a range of boots, designed by former Liverpool player Craig Johnston, called the Predator which has a ribbed rubber upper which they claim allows greater power, precision and control over passes and shots while wearing the boots. Whether they actually provide much of a boost for the amateur player is debatable and you certainly won't be missing out on much with a standard pair of football boots.

How much will I pay for football boots?

With such a wide range of boots from various manufacturers there will obviously be a wide spread when it comes to prices. Adult football boots will start at around £30 for a basic pair of plastic boots while top of the range football boots available to the consumer market such as the aforementioned Adidas Predators can run to £120 or more per pair.

What are the main considerations when choosing a pair of football boots?

Always try football boots on with the same thickness of socks as you would play in. Try several pairs of different brands and in different sizes to find what is most comfortable for you and still gives you enough of a "feel" and touch for the ball through the boot. Remember that you will be wearing the boots in action for 90 minutes at a time so comfort and fit should always be prime considerations over colour and aesthetic style.

How should I care for my boots to prolong their life?

Undo the laces properly when you take your football boots off.Remove soil by banging the boots together or using a brush. Then wipe with a damp cloth.If wet, allow the football boots to dry before polishing them. Don't heat-dry or the boots will crack.Grease screw-in studs occasionally to prevent rusting.Stuffing boots with newspaper helps them retain their shape.Don't play in soccer boots with broken studs, mixed studs, or over-tightened studs.

written by, Alan Hylands,

Association football markets and brands

Originally, association football boots were available only in black, but in more recent years have become available in various colours such as red, white, yellow, silver and gold. Big name companies such as Nike, Adidas, Umbro and the like have made an impact on the market with record sales. Nike's flagship shoe is the Total 90 football boot worn by Wayne Rooney, with other versions such as Mercurial Vapors worn by Cristiano Ronaldo. German company Adidas are responsible for the Predator range worn by David Beckham, Gary Neville, Kaká and Steven Gerrard. Also, the entire German national side wore Adidas boots during the 2006 FIFA World Cup. English firm Umbro produce the X-Boot range endorsed by England captain John Terry and Michael Owen.

In recent times, the most successful of these companies is Nike, and their products enjoy great popularity among professional footballers; among Nike's endorsers are two-time FIFA World Player of the Year and F.C. Barcelona forward Ronaldinho, aforementioned Manchester United duo Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo, AC Milan striker Ronaldo, and other popular players. Adidas, which has been providing football boots with screw-in studs to the German national side since 1954, have made their impact on the modern market by signing big name players as endorsers: players such as David Beckham, former France captain Zinedine Zidane, Chelsea's Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard and other successful players. Adidas sells with an image of technology and class in their boots which is key to their success. Umbro, meanwhile, is the weakest of the big name companies in terms of footwear sales, but has a strong association with the England team, whom it produces equipment for to add to the endorsement deals with John Terry and Michael Owen, among others. Both Chelsea and Manchester United had enjoyed long kit manufacturing deals with Umbro, but both teams signed recent deals with Adidas and Nike respectively.

source From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Different styles for different sports

Depending on the type of surface, kind of sport and even the wearer's position or role in the game, different cuts of boot and particularly stud arrangements are available. For hard fields, amateur participants may wear a sneaker shoe or a plastic-stud boot (known as a "moulded sole"); 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 union, the screw-in stud (or in some cases a metal-tipped, moulded stud) is preferred, especially in the positions of prop, hooker, and lock, where more grip is required for contested scrums. These screw-in studs are commonly either completely of metal construction or plastic with metal tips, of a maximum length of 18mm. 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, 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 soles facing in multiple directions, theoretically to maximise grip and minimise ankle injury. Recently, however, "bladed" football boots have faced criticism from some UK sporting bodies for causing potentially serious injuries to players. English football club Manchester United have even banned its players from wearing boots with bladed studs

source From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

History of football boot

The first record of a pair of football boots appears in 1526 in a list from King Henry VIII's Great Wardrobe which suggests he was not short of a few boots: "45 velvet pairs and 1 leather pair for football". His football boots were made by his personal shoemaker, Cornelius Johnson in 1525 at a cost of 4 shillings (about £100 in today's money). They were made of strong leather, ankle high and heavier than the normal shoe of the day... which position Henry played, we shall never know.

Moving forward to the Victorian period, football was gaining in popularity throughout Britain. Teams represented local factories or villages and players would wear their hard, leather work-boots, which were long-laced and often steel toe-capped. Despite the foundation of several football boot producers in the early twentieth century, including Gola (1905), Valsport (1920) and Hummel (1923), these heavy boots, with protection for the ankle, remained the standard style of boot in northern Europe for many years simply because players had to endure endless 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. The 1960s saw this lighter, more flexible football boot being thrust onto the world stage. The ball skills and technical ability of the players amazed those that watched them, and football boot production shifted to producing this lighter football boot with the focus on kicking and controlling the ball rather than simply producing a piece of protective footwear.

The earliest football boots had metal tacks hammered into them to increase ground grip and stability. With the foundation of the Football Association in 1863, rules were introduced that banned any kind of projection on the soles or heels of football boots but in 1891 the rules were revised to allow studs, so long as they were made of leather, were rounded, did not project more than half an inch and had their fastenings driven in.

These 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. The earliest replaceable studs were made in Germany, at brothers Adolf and Rudolf Dassler's Schuhfabrik (Shoe Factory) in Herzogenaurach, in 1925. Their boots had 6 or 7 nailed studs, which could be changed according to the weather conditions of play. The early 1950s saw the introduction of the screw-in plastic/ metal studs.

Football boots were available only in black originally, but in more recent years many more colours have become available in various colours such as red, white, yellow, silver and, famously, gold. The scale of the football boot industry today is vast, with companies vying for sales. Looking at a website like www.justsoccca.com, you can see today's boots are incomparable to those early workmen's boots.

Names such as the Total 90 and Mercurial Vapors (Nike), the Predator range and F.50.8 TUNiT (Adidas), the V1.08 (Puma) and the X-Boot range (Umbro) aim to set each brand apart in a crowded market, with Adidas tending to focus its brand on technology and class in their boots, whilst Umbro has a strong association with the England team, for whom it produces equipment to add to the endorsement deals with John Terry and Michael Owen. I wonder what King Henry VIII would have made of it all... but more importantly which boots would he have worn?

written by, Sandy Lee

What's foot ball boot

The items of footwear worn while playing football are called football boots in British English. They feature studs (cleats) protruding from the sole for traction on a playing field covered with grass or similar surface; hence they are called "cleats" in American English. Association football boots are called soccer shoes in American English. In most codes of football, modern "boots" are not technically boots as they do not cover the ankle. They can be made from a wide variety of leathers, kangaroo leather being a popular choice

source From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia