Under Armour – a name almost as peculiar as the US-based company’s latest assault on the sports market, namely in the form football boots. Now if you’ve ever taken part in any physical pursuit that has made you sweat from the very sinues of your being, the chances are you may have come across some of Under Armour’s gear. In short, they’re the guys who really brought forward the pioneering technology behind high density running vests and shorts that sit under your average bit of Egyptian cotton and work to eliminate trapped heat close to the surface of your skin, whilst allowing your flabby folds/washboard to breathe. Pretty clever stuff, all told, and it has been no surprise to see their range of clobber flood onto the British market, used in everything from athletics to squash to, most definitely, the football fanatics of today.
Doing as any right-minded corporate force should, Under Armour have taken that technology one step further, and are now launching an entire range of football boots onto the market. The premise is the same – the latest technology in footwear that will keep heat, friction, trapped moisture and all of those other elements that lead to blisters, discomfort, or just a light wafting of stilton, away from your foot.
Now creating and introducing this technology is one thing, but actually getting an image conscious market to part with their Adidas, Nike, Puma, Reebok and Umbro boots is quite another, particularly when the Under Armour pricepoint does little to ease the growing fiscal discomfort of the current recession.
For the American firm it’s all about conveying a message and a lifestyle that will sit within the more measured footballer. Not necessarily the 18-year-old who is going to save up for weeks in order to buy a pair of Mercurials, but more the Sunday park player knocking on 35 who cares more about preserving those few remaining years in the game than he does the opinions of onlookers.
That’s not to say the Under Armour boots aren’t good looking. On the contrary, they are, but their instant unrecognisability is a factor that will only be overcome over time, because to all intents and purposes the performances from these cleats is every bit as assured as any of the other top boots in the market.
They certainly circumnavigate a strong line between soft and firm ground, lightweight boots to those worn by the bone-crunchers of the game, and with a colour scheme that, while it may not tickle the brighter shades of the rainbow, definitely provides the non-black variation that appears a prerequisite of even the most uncool of footballers.
The UA range consist of three bootball boots. The Under Armour Dominate Pro (RRP £119.99), the Under Armour Create Pro (£99.99) and the Under Armour Dominate Classic (£59.99). All of which are available in Soft and Firm Ground models.
UA boots uniquely, convey a whole new message to a market already saturated by terminology that promises a lot and often fails to deliver in any great quantities. The company’s promotional website certainly ticks all the boxes with its portrayal of a team made up of each brand of footballer, from the tuned-in playmaker to the sluggish left-back whose imprint on the pitch is almost as great as that left on opposing forwards.
Indeed, I was intruiged to read up on Blaise O’Brien, a diminutive forward who, we are told, trains five times a week and plays three matches. ‘Who makes up this rubbish from?‘, I thought to myself… until I realise that BO’B, it is said, plays for none other than Hanwell Town FC, in London, a club located so close to where I type this review that, if pushed, I could probably be pitchside, watching Under Armour’s star forward in action, in less than 10 minutes. Not that I ever would, of course. Unless paid. Heavily.
Anyway, I digress… but the point remains that these are real guys taking on the real demands of the Under Armour boot, not a whispy made-up reference to “your hugely-talented park player” or “the Sunday League clogger”, or any other design of bulk-standard footballer that the leading brands would have us believe we can mould ourselves into.
So it’ll be interested to see how the Under Armour XI fare as the new season begins. They’ve certainly got some original and well-crafted boot technology at their feet, but whether their peers will listen in a market that looks as unlikely as ever to be able to loosen itself from the strangehold of the big two remains to be seen. But we’ll be watching.
Other Recommended Reading
- Under Review: The Under Armour Dominate Pro
- Winter Football Boots For All Conditions
- Football Boots Review with Bristol City’s Lee Johnson
- Football Boots Review with Matthew Spring
- Football Boots Review with Lee Trundle
About the author
James is an experienced football journalist who edits two leading Premier League club mags. He has worked for Sky Sports and is endlessly complaining about shin splints. And Mark Lawrenson. His favourite boot is the Adidas Predator Powerswerve. Although it's rumored that he once owned a pair of Nicks boots!
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