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Jan 1, 1525
The First Cleats
The first cleats were thought to be owned by King Henry VII, and were most likely made by shoemaker Cornelius Johnston.
The Engineering: these cleats were very different from modern cleats. They were ankle high as they resembled the work boots worn by the first players. They were made of tough, heavy leather and had metal studs attached to the bottom for traction. -
Interchangable Studs
German shoemakers Adlof and Rudolph Dassler created the first cleats with interchangable studs, allowing players to put in different studs depending on the surface they were playing on and the traction they needed. -
Pele's cleats
A new soccer cleat is designed by Puma specifically for soccer star Pele. -
New Materials
New materials are being used to create cleats, rather than just leather. Synthetic Materials allowed for much lighter but stronger cleats as well as cleats with better traction. It also allowed for cleats to be colored. -
The Copa Mundial
Another cleat made with new materials was the Adidas Copa Mundial, which was made with kangaroo leather, which provided speed and veratility (freedom of movement). -
Stud Placement
Manufacturers find ways to place the studs on the botom of cleats in different positions, for improved traction between the ground and the ball. -
Power and Swerve Zones
Manufactures place "power" and "swerve" zones on their cleats so that if players use specific parts of their foot when striking a ball it will supposedly afect the ball. These parts of the cleat vary in everything from material, density, texture, and weight. -
The Adidas Predator is Released- designed by Craig Johnston
A very unique and new design for the time it was invented, the Predator was an instant hit. It is special because with it came the invention of many new cleat technologies. -
Traxion Studs
On the "Predator Touch" new studs are introduced, called Traxion Studs, which were rectangular rather than round like all studs before it. -
Mercurial
Nike created one of its first shoes, the Mercurial, which were the lightest cleats available at the time, weighing at 200g. This appealed to players because the light shoe allowed them to be faster. -
Removable Traxion Studs
With the Predator Precision, Adidas reinvented the idea of removable studs, which were common among older designs. They were fit in by the tightening of a small screw rather than by hand, so that players could put in different sizes of studs dpending on the condition of ground they were on. -
Exchangable Insole
The Adidas Predator Absolute introduced the first exchangable insole. A comfortable insole could replaced with a much lighter one in order to make the shoe lighter. -
The Predator PowerSwerve
The Adidas Predator PowerSwerve featured power and swerve zones (like described previously under "Power and Swerve Zones"). It also featured Adidas Smartfoam which reacts to the impact of the ball and puts more power on the ball. Also in PowerSwerve was the PowerPulse element that contained tungsten powder (an metal element) which shifts a player's weight towards the ball when they kick to improve power. -
Adidas miCoach Speed Cell
In 2010 Adidas released the miCoach which records the movements of a player as he plays and collects the data. This device is placed in the bottom of the athlete's shoe, and sensors determine your speed, distance, and direction of movement. It then sends the data to a computer or mobile device via bluetooth. -
Nike Dynamic Fit Collar
One of Nike's most recent inventions is the dynamic fit collar, which is unique from most soccer cleats as the shoe goes up and over the ankle rather than stopping right before the ankle. The collar is made to look and feel like a sock, as it is made with Nike's Flyknit technology, and is knit. It supposedly gives more support to the ankle, as well as providing an easy surface to add elements too, such as a slight bumpy texture to improve grip and a waterproof covering.
