-
1525
First cleats
They were made by Shoemaker Cornelius Johnson. Cornelius made for King Henry Vlll. The cleats were ankle high, they were made out of this tough leather. -
2nd shoes made
They used leather work boots that usually had a steel toe-cap. As you can imagine, these were not the ideal shoe to wear for playing soccer! To gain more traction, the players started to hammer metal studs to the bottom of their shoes. As the game evolved and become more popular in the late 1800’s the demand for better soccer shoes began to increase. It was then that the shift from wearing soccer “boots” to the more traditional “slipper” style happened. -
3rd cleats made
Next big evolution in soccer cleats happened from 1940 – 1960. In the post-World War II era manufacturing became stronger than ever before. Air travel also became much more affordable and more and more international matches began to be played. The increase in international play began to highlight the incredible skill that players all around the world had. So it influenced manufactures to focus on the important things, such as ball work. -
New material
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. -
Stud placement
Manufacturers find ways to place the studs on the bottom of cleats in different positions, for improved traction between the ground and the ball. -
The next evolution of cleats
They were made by addias. By adding rubber elements to the upper of the cleat for improved power and swerve, adidas had created something that had never been seen before. -
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 depending on the condition of ground they were on. -
insole exchange
The Adidas Predator Absolute introduced the first exchangeable insole. A comfortable insole could replaced with a much lighter one in order to make the shoe lighter. -
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.
