There are many foot injuries which football players develop as a result of overuse, pounding pressure, wet conditions and friction on the foot. We look at what you can do to look after the most important part of the body when it comes to football - the feet!

Football Foot Stress

Football puts a lot of stress on the feet due to the nature of the game. Sharp turns, quickly stopping and starting, often on hard or un-even surfaces, or in conditions which leave the foot soaking wet for 90 minutes.

In a typical match, footballers run for around 10 kilometres at fairly modest speeds, they sprint for about 1,000 metres, accelerate 50 different times, and change direction every five seconds or so. When running, a footballer’s body weight can be multiplied by up to 5 times, with the feet bearing the majority of this stress.

Many footballers wear football boots which are normally tight around the foot, often a size too small and modern football boots are more frequently made of synthetic materials which are less breathable than leather.

So we know that our poor feet get a hard time of it, but hey, we footballers are tough, what the heck…. Well, no. Who wants to be watching their team from the touchline due to a foot infection? Or who wants a long term issue with corns, or ingrown toenails?

Symptoms

Tight football boots can chafe the skin and cause blisters which are not only painful and can put you on the injury list, they can also lead to infections which can cause many other issues.

Football boots which are synthetic and don’t allow the foot to breath, can lead to the growth and multiplication of odour-causing bacteria.

When your feet are subjected to pounding pressure caused by differing surfaces, the skin starts to dry out. If left untreated, it will crack and peel. Tiny fissures can develop that may even begin to bleed!

Preventative Measures

So much time and money is spent on deciding what football boots to buy and wear, but then the feet that go inside those football boots are neglected.

Foot Hygiene

Hot sweaty feet are part and parcel of football, so good foot hygiene is important in avoiding conditions such as Athletes Foot. Wash your feet regularly and dry them thoroughly.

Foot Conditioner has been developed to repair the damage that football inflicts on the feet. It helps revitalise your feet so they feel supple and responsive. It’s absorbed quickly and leaves no greasy residue so it starts working immediately and is easy to apply. At Footy Boots HQ we’ve used Zuku conditioner and have found it has worked well for our feet!

Wear the right socks

Studies have shown the importance of socks in preventing football injuries. There are socks available now that let the foot breath better in the football boot and prevent water from absorbing through the sock onto your foot.

Wear the right football boot

Get the right sized football boot. Some football boots have a wide fit, other a slim fit, read up on the football boot before buying it.

Get the right football boot for the surface you are playing on. That may mean more than one pair of football boots a season, but its worth it.

Look at the material. Some upper materials do not allow the foot to breath, which as we know can cause problems. Consider the materials available within your budget and ask your team mates for their recommendations.

Footy Boots reviews the leading football boots and is an ideal source of reference to learn more about football boots.

Related pages - Football Boot Care

With football boot material becoming softer and softer, some may question the need to ‘break in’ their new football boots. However, following this guide, which will help the boots to become more comfortable and quicker.

Breaking In Your New Boots

Warning: It’s not a good idea to wear your brand new football boots in a competitive game.

1. Soak the boots in warm water. Do not use very hot water as this can melt the adhesives used on the football boot.

2. Wearing football socks, sit in the bath for twenty minutes with your boots tied as you would tie them in a game. This helps the boots to mould to your foot shape.

3. Next time you have football training, take your new football boots, along with an alternative football boot.

4. For a period no longer than twenty minutes, wear your football boots during training, ideally with the football boot upper dampened. Also, rub Vaseline on your foot, this willhelp prevent blisters.

5. Continue wearing your boots to training for progressively longer spells, until the football boots feel very comfortable.

6. Always stuff your football boots with old newspaper to help mould the boots and keep the shape. Alternatively, by a shoe stretcher from a shoe shop.

Following this guideline will help prevent injury and blisters, when introducing a new football boot.

Also see: Caring for your Football Boots and Caring For Synthetic Leather Football Boots

Synthetic leather football boots are becoming more and more popular. Nike have the Mercurial Vapor’s, Puma the V1.06 and Adidas +F50 TUNiT.

In fact, nearly all of the major football boot manufacturers now have a synthetic upper football boot, but how do you clean these boots which are not made from leather?

Follow the instructions from the first series, Caring for your Football Boots. However, you do not want to use any abrasive brush or cloth on the football boot upper.

Also, do not use any oil, Dubbin or nourishment on your synthetic leather football boots. Synthetic leather football boots can be damaged if you use a detergent or a polish.

With your football boots becoming a more and more expensive investment, it’s important to understand the best ways to look after your football boots and prolong their life.

The football boot is a footballers most important piece of equipment. Ensuring your equipment is in good working order, can only help improve your game.

Over the course of the next few days, I will be giving you a series of guides to help you care for your football boots.

Series 1 – The Basics

1. After playing, always loosen your laces to allow you to remove your boots without using excessive force.

2. Remove loose soil by brushing the football boots with a stiff brush. Do not use a wire brush, instead try and use a brush with a natural material.

3. Wipe the football boots with a damp cloth to remove smaller particles of soil. Do not use a cleaning agent to clean your football boots.

4. If the football boots have been used in wet conditions, you can use an old toothbrush to remove soil that has been trapped in small grooves.

5. Stuff the football boots with newspaper to maintain shape.

6. Allow the football boots to dry in a natural heat.

Warning: Drying the boots with heat can cause the football boots to become stiff and the adhesives can deteriorate. Stiff boots are far more likely to rip and are weak. Deteriorated adhesives can make joints weak, such as the join between the upper and the sole plate. Additionally, heat drying your football boots can cause your soleplate to warp.

7. Once dry, grease the studs. This will prevent rusting if the boots are screw-in, it will also help prevent soil from sticking to the studs.

8. If the boots are leather, they can be polished to retain their colour.

9. After allowing the polish to work in, typically 24 hours, the boot should be protected by a Dubbin or natural leather oil. Dubbin or oil, helps keep the football boot waterproof and the leather supple.

Warning: When cleaning football boots with synthetic material, do not use a Dubbin or oil.

10. If changing or cleaning studs, add a slight lubricant to the stud thread to prevent any rusting if moisture gets in. Ensure the stud is tight, but not too tight to damage the thread. (Too much lubricant will reduce the friction and prevent the stud from properly tightening).