Girls football boots

[Gro]

DD has just started secondary school and they have been told they need football boots next week.

DD has long, narrow and shallow feet. Size 7/8 in trainers, school shoes are a 6.5.

All the football boots I can find are either mens, boys or unisex. They are massive on her even if they are the right length. Closest we got to a good fit was Adidas, they seemed narrower but still far to deep. Way more than could be fixed with an insole.

I am not going to spend a fortune on them because she isn't sporty and they won't get much wear. I am also not going to buy ill fitting boots because she might get injured (surely well fitted trainers are better?)

1. aibu that requiring football boots for girls is silly
2. Help! Any ideas where I can get these boots? I would prefer to go to a shop so we can try them on.

Thanks

Our school insists on football boots as well as trainers (boys and girls) which drives me mad as two of my kids (including my DS 13) have no interest in football and will only wear them for half a term and then grow out of them. I've always found football boots to come up narrow on my son's wide feet so not sure why you're struggling to find narrow ones. Adidas seem particularly narrow.

Like PP I'm not convinced there is an integral difference between teen girls and boys feet except most boys have bigger feet. But there are loads of football boots available in sizes 5-8 (probably the most likely sizes for girls).

If what you're really saying is girls aren't really interested in football and shouldn't really play it properly with proper equipment then you're definitely unreasonable. As above my DS hates football and my older DD quite enjoyed it. Women's professional football is now being taken seriously and there's no reason to treat boys and girls differently as regards football.

My photo of article failed.

She wears these on grass which run small and are narrow.

https://www.adidas.co.uk/x-speedportal.4-flexible-ground-boots/

And these on Astro

https://www.adidas.co.uk/copa-pure.3-turf-boots/

Also try Decathlon for cheaper version if you just want to get by for now until they change sport

Thanks for all the suggestions.

I'm certainly not suggesting boots for girls is unnecessary loads of girls in DDs primary loved football. I thought I would be able to walk into the sports shop and buy a pair. I am gobsmacked that in 2023 only boys and men can go and buy football boots.

I was also going to suggest Decathlon. My daughter also has narrow feet and needs to go somewhere with a selection to try. We also buy them cheap as she only wears them for about a dozen lessons and then they move to a different sport.

It's madness isn't it!
According to that article the main difference between men and women affecting boot design is wider hips and a narrow heel cup hence your problem trying to find narrow fitting boots.

Try the brands in the picture above about the England team. We have one of the best women's football teams in the world, so you'd hope that they're putting their names to proper women's fit football boots. Although I'd expect they could be expensive and hard to find in person, although it's probably worth looking online.

Any chance of buying second hand, either outgrown/barely used ones from older students at the school, or on Vinted etc? Or are hockey boots suitable? I don't know the difference between these and football boots, but they're both for running around in mud and I would have thought that hockey boots that fit would be better than mens football boots that don't?

As an aside, when I rule the world, I will outlaw use of the term 'unisex' when there's been no attempt whatsoever to customise the item to women. Men and women are very different shapes so anything that fits men, won't fit most women. Men are rarely (never?) expected to wear clothes or footwear designed to fit women, so why is it common for it to happen the other way round?

I don't think you're being daft op. My dd can't wear studded boot with them causing hip pain. We're lucky that her school have agreed to very stout trainers (more of a walking boot really). The difference has been massive and she's no longer missing school the following day because she couldn't walk without immense pain.

I was also going to suggest Decathlon. Their boots are narrow. DS has wide feet and can’t fit their football boots.

I used to play a lot of football and can absolutely guarantee that boys/mens shoes in larger sizes do not fit most girls. Kids sizes are fairly generic, but once you get to size 7/8, an average male foot is much wider at the same length, and you can end up floating about in them.

I don't agree with no studs at all - the pp who let her daughter not wear them due to hip pain was almost certainly putting her at risk of much worse injury, because it's so easy to slip without them, there's not an intrinsic reason we can't use studs and it's more likely she needed inner soles with more support or just a different boot - but stud patterns that reflect our different shape and weight distribution also help.

No it's not silly if they play football

Do they mean studs or astro boots?

I have the same issue - Decathlon absolute cheapest come up the narrowest. Dd plays for a team so wears them a lot, and I’d be happy to spend more, but the specialist women’s boots don’t go small enough for her (she wears a 4, age 12).

Im also sick of buying her ‘boys’ skins and ‘boys’ shorts as well as ‘boys’ shoes. But I haven’t found any mainstream store selling specifically girls football kit.

DD16 also has size 7 very narrow feet and has played football for years and has had no issues with Adidas and Nike boots previously. We always buy from Sports Direct and try on various pairs and have always found some that fit fine, especially with thick football socks.