Unlike football, where different positions normally choose different types of shoes, soccer players choose their footwear based on the surface they will be playing on. Soccer shoes come in a variety of different styles, ranging from shoes made for wet, muddy surfaces, to hard, compacted dirt to indoor artificial turf.
Use of Turf Soccer Shoes
Turf shoes are a specialized type of soccer shoe that is used on an indoor surface. Many soccer games are played on grass fields outdoors, but indoor facilities are starting to offer more turf fields to allow soccer to be played year round, regardless of weather. Many indoor soccer turf surfaces are made from plastic yarn with a rubber and sand base, so special shoes are needed to accommodate the unique surface.
Cleat Patterns
A general rule of thumb for soccer cleats is the wetter the surface, the longer the cleat. Since indoor facilities do not get rained on, a shorter cleat is used for indoor soccer. Turf shoes are similar to "hard ground" shoes, having many shorter studs as to not pierce the playing surface while still maintaining traction. These are comparison to "soft ground" and "firm ground" shoes. Soft ground shoes often have detachable cleats, which are a circle or blade-shaped and sometimes made of metal so that you are able to have traction in wet grass. Firm ground cleats are the most common and most versatile soccer shoe, which have 10 to15 molded cleats on each shoe.
Difference from Outdoor Shoes
While soft and firm ground shoes have identifiable cleats used tor digging into the ground, which allows the player to not slip on outdoor grass, indoor turf shoes have either very small studs or a raised pattern on the bottom of the shoe. Since indoor turf stays dry, the rubberized bottom sole of indoor soccer shoes provides enough traction on the synthetic indoor surface.
Materials
Indoor soccer shoes do come in high-quality materials like outdoor cleats, such as kangaroo leather, but many times indoor soccer is only played during the winter months and players are not looking to invest a large sum of money into shoes they will use only a quarter of the year. Synthetic materials are often used for indoor turf shoes, which sacrifices touch on the ball for durability, as the artificial turf will put more wear and tear on shoes than natural grass.
Price
Elite soccer players often spend upwards of $200 on a single pair of soccer shoes, but indoor soccer shoes can be found in a much more reasonable and affordable price range. Indoor soccer turf shoes can be found for less than $50, with quality pairs available in the $50 to $75 price range.
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