Putting the boot in

Whilst the days of ‘Billy’s Boots’ have long gone with the advent of high-tech design and manufacturing processes, the purchase of football boots by all sectors of English society is now deemed to be so commonplace that it will appear for the first time in the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) and Retail Prices Index (RPI).

The Retail Prices Index is an average measure of change in the prices of goods and services bought for the purpose of consumption by the vast majority of households in the UK.

The modern Retail Prices Index (RPI), born in 1947, is an important barometer of the UK economy and shows the impact of inflation on family budgets. It can affect tax allowances, wages, state benefits, pensions, alimony and many other payments.

The changes form part of an annual exercise to ensure that the consumer prices 'shopping basket' - the selection of items priced each month by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to measure inflation - is up-to-date and representative of consumer spending patterns.

New items are also needed in areas where households are spending a larger share of their income compared with past years. Therefore the cost of purchasing football boots now finds itself as a new entry into the ‘basket’ of 100 goods.

The RPI includes prices for food and drink, tobacco, housing, household goods and services, personal goods and services, transport fares, motoring costs, clothing and leisure goods and services.

Commenting on the inclusion of football boots for the first time, FA Partner UMBRO’s Eddie May said:

"The inclusion of football boots in the report reflects the strength of football as a participation sport. Football is still very much the number one sport in the UK, with growing levels of participation amongst youth and women, which can only be good news for the future health of the game."

In the build-up to Christmas this year, The FA ran a regional information campaign with local newspapers to provide guidance to parents when buying boots as presents.

Alan Hodson, The FA’s Director of Medical Education and Services told TheFA.com: "The FA wants people to think carefully about selecting the right boots, to enable players to perform at their best and to reduce the risk of injury.

"Image plays an ever increasing role in people’s choice of footwear, but The FA wants people to judge and buy boots on the grounds of comfort, fit and function, not just on how good they look.

"People shouldn’t think that you can ‘grow into boots’ after a few games as that simply doesn’t happen. Injuries caused by the wrong choice of boot can keep players out of the game for a considerable period of time - or in particularly extreme cases for good."

The FA has produced a ten-point checklist for what people should look out for when buying a pair of boots. They should:

• Be comfortable and flexible
• Provide support and stability
• Give good grip and allow traction
• Distribute the load and decrease the shock of impact
• Protect against direct trauma (a kick or contact with the ball)
• Allow the player to perform
• Suit the player’s foot type
• Fix cosily at the heel and instep and have a well-padded tongue
• Allow feet to breath (leather or fabric uppers are considered best)
• Allow a 5-10mm gap between the tip of the longest toe and tip of the boot