Soccer Shoes- Football Boot Materials
We all see those wondrous football athletes on Monday night TV, streaking through moist grass fields in search for championship. Just how do they make those durable football boots? A closer look at the materials of these football boots, or soccer shoes would be quite interesting.
The materials
Football boots are made up of different materials. The upper part of the football boot is where the expensive materials come in. Newly synthesized rubber is used for the upper part of the shoe. The kind of effort put into the designing of the upper part of the shoe spells the difference between a good fit and a bad fit.
The upper part of the football boot is also the where comfort (or discomfort) can be felt. For those of you who are wondering whether these boots are completely machine-made, the answer is an encouraging no. From the cutting to the sewing, the football boots have warm, human hands supervising.
Many are also wondering- is that real leather? The answer this time is a yes. Actually, football boots such as Hummel soccer shoes use first class goatskin leather.
Goatskin leather is more durable and is less expensive than other leathers. In addition, with the right tanning and drying, goatskin leather is quite attractive.
However, there are some manufacturers that use other kinds of leather. Some use kangaroo leather, while some manufacturers use bovine or cow leather. All three kinds of leather are durable.
Nevertheless, companies like Pittard and Hummel emphasize that goatskin leather is more breathable and offers more abrasion protection than other types of leather.
Features of soccer shoes & treatment of material
Companies like Pittard and Hummel actually treat the leather with chemicals to strengthen them. WR100X is used to strengthen the goatskin leather. WR100X also improves the water-resistant quality of the goatskin leather, while still providing breathability.
Soccer shoes are often designed for the following:
- Resistance to external and internal damage during use.
- Total resistance to liquids such as chemicals, water and muddy conditions.
- Strength of grip in different conditions, wet or dry.
- Softness of the leather even after prolonged and repeated use.
- Resistance of the lining material to human sweat and other such fluids.
All these features of football boots can be traced back to the special tanning and re-treatment of the leather itself. Inexpensive soccer shoes offer little sweat resistance and often break with extreme use (such as professional matches).