If you are the lucky parent of a multisport athlete, you might want to save on your child's sports footwear budget by having him use football or lacrosse cleats for soccer as well, but each of these shoes features design modifications to make it sport-specific. Flipping the cleats upside down to look at the stud pattern reveals why other sports' cleats might not be such a good idea for soccer.
Football Cleats
Football cleats feature molded outsoles with built-in projections called studs. More expensive models might instead feature screw-in studs that can be customized for a wet, sloppy surface or a fast, firm field. Football cleats typically have a high-top or three-quarter cut for ankle support. The cleat pattern generally features four studs in the heel and additional studs in the midfoot and forefoot, including a toe cleat at the front for traction and cutting. Football cleats also can be customized by position in terms of weight and degree of protection for the top of the foot.
Lacrosse Cleats
Cleats for lacrosse resemble cleats for football in their ankle protection and stud patterns, including the toe cleat. As with football, metal spikes such as those used for baseball cleats are not permitted in lacrosse; outsoles and their studs typically are polyurethane. Either football or soccer cleats also work for lacrosse, writes Noah Fink in "Lacrosse: A Guide for Parents and Players." You can pick a mid-top or three-quarter shoe to provide ankle support.
Soccer Cleats
Soccer cleats more closely resemble track shoes than football or lacrosse cleats. They are lighter to match the track-meet style of a typical up-tempo game and have lower tops so that the ankle can wiggle and allow the foot to gently maneuver and control the ball. Soccer cleats lack a toe cleat, since the front edge of the foot needs to get under the ball for a laces kick, and a toe cleat would snag on the grass or artificial surface.
Youth Soccer Rules
Lacrosse and football cleats are banned in youth soccer leagues unless the toe cleat at the front of the shoe can be removed. They can be screwed off if adjustable or cut off with a utility knife, recommends the American Youth Soccer Organization's East Central Iowa region. The danger of the toe cleat to other players also is a concern. Unlike soccer and football, "tackling" or taking the ball away in soccer can involve a certain amount of inadvertent stomping on another player's ankle or top of the foot, as well as sliding in to try to poke the ball away. A toe cleat could cause injury in such a scenario. So while football and lacrosse cleats are not wearable for soccer without modifications, soccer cleats can be used for lacrosse, and football and lacrosse cleats are somewhat interchangeable.
Member Comments