First of all, this is a review for a pair of boots that were given to me by Sports Direct, on the condition that I leave some feedback on the Footy Blog. Thats just incase you thought it was a bit random that I’ve not posted here for months, before reviewing a pair of purple boots…
Anyway, secondly, these aren’t proper football boots. Not because they’re purple but because they’re actually trainers – of the astro-turf variety. This is because I’m not playing 11aside but take part in a local 6aside league, and only dicks wear studs on astro-turf…
First impressions when these arrived (after having to arse-around chasing the post man around town to collect them – thanks, Royal Mail…) was that yes, they were purple. But I knew this because when I was on the Sports Direct website I ticked the box that said “Purple”. My previous excuse was that our team plays in purple, and so I wanted boots that matched the top, but having realised that’s probably even worse then admitting you got them just to look flash I’ve currently run out of excuses for them. I’ll just say that they were out of the black ones.
The boots were actually really really comfortable, which was quite surprising as I nearly always need to try footwear on before buying, and so never really order online without having tried them out instore first. Another noticeable thing was that they’re incredibly light, and the material feels wafer-thin. I was looking forward to trying them out, but wasn’t looking forward to getting stamped on by a 16 stone man.
Playing with the Nike Mercurial Glide astro turfs was actually really enjoyable. This sounds cliche but you do really get a good feel for the ball, as they’re so thin your feet are in really close contact with the ball – its almost like playing in socks. However my concerns were realised when someone (wearing studs) stepped on my foot, literally 10 seconds into the game. I was mainly concerned that my boots would have a great big stud hole in the top, but thankfully they’re made of stronger stuff (despite being purple) so they’re still completely intact.
We won our match (which happened to be a final) and so the boots could’ve been considered a lucky omen. I’ve been for a kickabout in them since and this wasn’t a great experience but this is because the ball we used was about 10 years old, very heavy and not fully pumped up, so it stang every time I struck the ball with any sort of conviction. But as everyone else was in pain, I’m sure it wasn’t the fault of the boots.
Overall I really recommend these boots, for £50 they’re probably about the top of the mid-range bracket but I think they’re ideal for astro-turf leagues. I can imagine many strikers fancying themselves wearing these, for those players who are light, quick, with a good touch and a neat finish. I’d be shocked to see 40 year old central defenders wearing boots like this (especially in purple) but in conclusion I think these boots are well worth £50.
