Over the past 10 years we have seen a dramatic change in the soccer shoe market. The days are gone where you could go to a local soccer shop and purchase a pair of boots that your favorite professional player endorsed/wore. I can specifically remember that I wanted whatever Roberto Baggio wore, which were the flashy royal blue Diadora boots. Let's face it Footy fans, the days of paying around $100 for an elite pair of boots are long gone. For example, if you look around the net for a pair of elite level boots you better be expected to pay at least $200.
Furthermore, I never thought I would see the day when football boots reached over $200. Back in the day I used to save my money for months on end just so I could buy the new pair of predators. However, times have changed, along with the game of football, it is faster, players are more athletic, and the sport has grown all over the world, most importantly in North America.
For example, according to Wikipedia "Despite the growth of men's and women's professional soccer in the United States in the last few decades, by far the largest category of soccer in the United States, at least in terms of participation, is boys and girls youth soccer. Though organized locally by organizations all over the United States, there are three main youth soccer organizations working nationwide through affiliated local associations. The United States Youth Soccer Association boasts over three million players between the ages of five and 19, while American Youth Soccer Organization has more than 300,000 players between the ages of four and 19. Finally, the USL offers a number of youth leagues, including the Super-20 League and the Super Y-League, which have almost 1,000 teams and tens of thousands of players from the ages of 13 to 20. This makes soccer one of the most played sports by children in the United States". With these numbers and the potential for revenue, sports giants Nike and adidas started to pay attention and focussing on providing products to satisfy the needs/wants of the millions of kids playing soccer in the USA.
In the end, I have always believed competition brings out the best in everyone and with Nike and adidas battling for soccer supremacy in North America, Footy fans have been treated to technological advances/creativity that no one thought would ever be possible. For example, it all started in the 1998 world cup where Nike introduced the lightest soccer boot ever created called the Mercurial Vapor, which was made of a synthetic upper, which at the time was unheard of and took the football world by surprise. Since then the evolution of boots and technology has not stopped and throughout the past 10 years the boot prices continue to grow.
