Soccer players are gifted athletes with physical strength and agility that would put many other sportsmen and women to shame. The finely-tuned, committed professionals that we see playing in the World Cup Finals and in leagues across the globe have access to the most advanced designs of soccer shoe to enhance their performance. Since the first ever pair of soccer shoes were produced for King Henry VIII in 1526 for a cost of four shillings, this vital piece of a player’s equipment has evolved into a multi-billion dollar business. In the late 1800s, the heavier boot style gradually became replaced with a more lightweight shoe as the game changed from hobby to sport. In 1891, a revision to the Laws of the Game allowed projection on the soles of the shoe for the first time. This pioneering move introduced studs and saw the first incarnation of the modern-day soccer shoe. Weighing half a kilogram, this thick leather ankle boot birmingham womens rugby would not offer the most flexibility but offered much-needed progression from the steel-toe-capped work-boots. The twentieth century saw a little progress and various soccer shoe manufacturers starting mass-production including Gola, Valsport and Hummel. In Germany, the industrious Dassler brothers introduced the interchangeable studs to give wearers the opportunity to adapt to different playing surfaces and conditions. This developed further in the 1950s when soccer shoes were equipped with screw-in metal or plastic studs. The Dassler brothers were to play an even larger part in the evolution of the soccer shoe then their previous work suggested. After a bitter dispute the two separated and went on to form Adidas and Puma, now two of the leading names in soccer shoe manufacturing. In 1948 when the brothers split their business, Adi Dassler formally registered Adidas while Rudolph Dassler’s company would become Puma.