Boots through time

The facts

• Early football boots were heavy leather that came up over the ankle, with hard toe-caps and nailed studs.
• Screw-in studs let players change to longer studs on a wet, muddy pitch.
• Today many boots are light and knitted, with a plastic plate, and there are different soles for grass, plastic grass and indoor courts.

Take it to your game

Wear the right sole for the pitch: studs on grass, short studs or turf soles on plastic grass, a flat sole indoors.