Nike and Adidas urged by MPs to promote female football boots

Major brands including Adidas, Nike and Puma person been quizzed by MPs astir the deficiency of shot boots specifically designed for women and girls.

There are concerns higher rates of genu injuries among pistillate players are linked to boots designed for men.

ACL anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries impacted 5 of the world's apical 20 pistillate footballers successful 2022.

Key players for the Lionesses are missing from the 2023 Women's World Cup due to the fact that of the injury.

Sports scientists person said the usage of boots created for antheral players could beryllium putting women astatine a higher hazard of injury.

Boot manufacturers told MPs they were investing successful women-only and sex neutral products but retailers were sometimes reluctant to banal them and determination was little user demand, and awareness, of the products.

Conservative MP Caroline Nokes, who chairs the women and equalities committee, said it was disappointing that nary retailers responded to the committee's inquiry.

She called connected sportswear brands to bash much to power their behaviour.

The committee singled retired merchandise descriptions of shot boots connected Sports Direct's website and in-store. which bash not look to bespeak whether they are designed specifically for women and successful galore cases are promoted arsenic conscionable "men's" oregon "boys".

The committee asked Sports Direct what it is doing to enactment women and girls wishing to play shot but did not person a response.

Ms Nokes added: "Football brands are making invited advancement connected supporting the needs of pistillate shot players, but this needs to beryllium amended reflected connected the High Street and online.

"It remains the lawsuit that large retailers springiness constricted designation to women and girls erstwhile it comes to shot boots.

"It is nary bully investing successful probe and making boots for pistillate shot players if women are unaware of those products oregon incapable to bargain them."

The committee asked large brands astir their attack to the design, manufacture and selling of shot boots and however this could assistance forestall avoidable injuries.

Puma was asked wherefore determination are truthful fewer shot boots connected the marketplace designed specifically for women and girls.

In its response, Puma said: "One proposal mightiness beryllium that women person grown up with the conception that the champion mode to situation antheral domination successful shot (and each spheres of life) is to situation it caput connected and garbage to beryllium seen arsenic immoderate little susceptible than men, oregon antithetic to men.

"One mode this whitethorn person manifested itself is that pistillate players wanted to play and beryllium treated precisely arsenic antheral players are, with the nonstop aforesaid footwear and successful the aforesaid colourways."

The committee besides raised that respective boots that are designed for women tin outgo implicit £200 much and asked what the barriers are to producing much affordable boots for women and girls.

Nike responded by saying they are offering 2 styles crossed the Phantom Luna boot, giving consumers options to take from.

IDA Sports person a scope of boots that are designed specifically for women's feet and were featured successful this inquiry.

They said that women are not tiny men and that unisex boots are not suitable due to the fact that "women are built differently."

However, they person yet to interruption into 1 of the large retailers successful the UK.