The week that changed football boots forever

Over the past week, football boot design has experienced the most innovative, most ground-breaking and most revolutional changes that we have ever seen. Not one but two of the world’s biggest sport good manufacturers, Adidas and Nike have released their designs for the introduction of “knitted” football boots. This article analyses whether these boots are really as momentous as people are saying and if so, which one is the most innovative?

The week began on March 3^rd 2014, where the world’s first knitted football boot was launched by Adidas as a limited edition product, the Adidas Samba Primeknit. The boot provides the comfort, feel and responsiveness that playing in barefoot does whilst combining that with the protection needed for modern day football. The knitted upper part acts as a second-skin and so offers flexibility and comfort that is unprecedented in football boots of the past. The way the Primeknit technology is constructed means it provides stability and strength that is needed in the game.

I, like many others love playing football with just socks on. The freedom and feel and the agility it gives you is unlike present day football boots. That is why these innovative Adidas boots are truly ground-breaking for the game because it offers the same experience but better. Better by improving protection, strength and stability due to the studs, base and knitted body.

The technology is revolutional for football and I really want a pair just to see how it feels to play as if I were barefooted. However, there is one question that is unanswered, and that is how durable are the boots? Because surely the yarn will get damaged from tackles, shots, rain etc, and is the durability as good as other football boots? In spite of this, the appearance of the Samba Primeknit is gorgeous. The colours are reminiscent of other knitted trainers and look great on the turf.

The launch of Adidas’s new football boots called the Samba, introduced their Primeknit technology to football for the first time and it made me wonder when was Nike going to release a pair of football boots which features their world renowned Flyknit technology?

Well on the 7^th March 2014 the Nike Magista was announced. It will be released for sale on the 22nd May and will be on display for the World Cup in Brazil this summer. The technology enables the boot to fit like a sock and so allows the user to be closer to the ball. The increased ball control and feel maximises the users’ awareness and interact with their surroundings. These all result in a better performance and skill, allowing playmakers such as Gotze and Iniesta to create magic.

I think the Magistas look incredible and actual better than the Adidas Sambas. This is due to the colours and the added low ankle sock that is a first for football boots. As well, the Samba looks as if it’s just a F-50 boot with a knitted body whilst the Magista looks like a completely new design.. of which it should! With such an innovative technology introduction as these bots are, surely the design should also reflect the momentous change and not just be a modification. The Magista has another two colour schemes ready to be released later this summer which look incredibly sexy and puts it way ahead of the Samba in my books. Nike’s Global Vice-President of Sport Performance, Phil McCartney said that this boot will change football forever and I believe it will.

I thought that was the end of it, the only launch I could even imagine was that Puma had developed their own knitted boots but no. Instead, Adidas released a further development, the Adidas Primeknit FS. It is a limited edition world’s first all-in-one knitted football boot and sock hybrid, and quite frankly, I am not surprised it is a world’s first. It truly looks horrific. I can not even justify the idea, it resembles a wellington boot.

Okay, so I will stop slamming it for now and look at the positives it shows. It displays the high levels the Primeknit technology can reach. It improves ball touch, feel and control because the foot and lower leg area is made from one continuous material. As well, each yarn has been coated to ensure water resistance which does answer one of my previous worries of the Samba.

In spite of all this, I really hope that the FS stays as a design concept because if it got finalised before the World Cup then we could see some embarrassed and rather ridiculous players running around in these hybrids.

What Adidas started was truly innovative, the Primeknit Samba has changed football boot design forever. Nike’s Magista reaches the same height of innovation as the Samba but others a much more appealing design which I would recommend people to buy. The Adidas Primeknit FS is just ridiculous, they took the develop too far I feel and hope that it stays as a concept.

Panasonic “Cut Out the Darkness” Campaign

This is a really nice project by Panasonic which aims to provide light to 1.3 billion people who do not have electricity. It was started back in 2006 and they aim to have distributed 100,000 by the company’s 100th anniversary in 2017.

The “cut out the darkness” campaign offers the general public the chance to design and submit their own cut-out patterns for the Panasonic lanterns. By including the general public, the campaign promotes the understanding of life in areas without electricity. This is in the aim to have beneficial repercussions as the public become more charitable, environmentally and humanitarianly conscious.

I created my own design and submitted it to Panasonic in the aim for it to be voted in to the top 100 designs. My inspiration for my shade was football and more specifically David Beckham. This was because football brings happiness to people in all corners of the world.

Both children and adults can forget about the reality of the world whilst they have a kick about. The idea behind the shade is that they can continue this enjoyment and in turn create a relaxing environment for them to dream and aspire in. This is especially for the children who can aspire to role models like David Beckham and dream for a better life.

No matter what gender, age or language, people know David Beckham due to his unique global image. With him as my root of inspiration, I went with the idea of having past famous football players who played and wore the number 7 shirt for Manchester United to be shining from the lantern. These four players included; George Best, Eric Cantona, David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo. I chose these four past players because they all represent different decades of football and Manchester United and so people of many generations can enjoy the atmosphere of my lantern shade.

On the 7^th February, Panasonic closed the campaign’s submission and released the report results on the 10^th. My design came thirteenth out of over five hundred and thus was one of the hundred to be sent off with the first release. My shade will be manufactured and donated to people living without electricity on Sumba Island in Indonesia. I can not wait to see a manufactured model of my design and hope the people it is donated to enjoys it and benefits from it.

I am very privileged to have my design voted in and appreciate those who voted for my creation. I am very thankful I got involved in the campaign to help raise awareness for those living without electricity across the globe and to give to those who are less fortunate than myself. I know I will do a lot more charitable campaigns from now on and encourage people to do the same.

The Nou Camp Expansion

The Nou Camp Expansion

Home to one of most successful football teams of all time and arguably the most successful in the past decade, Barcelona’s Nou Camp has become an iconic symbol of the club’s greatness. However, for many years now, the club has been discussing the possibility of expanding the stadium.

The first question I asked when I heard this was why? The stadium is the largest in Europe and eleventh in the world, boasting a maximum capacity of 99,786 fans so why add more? It is simple really. The desire to watch the team’s matches are at a huge demand and no wonder due to the club’s recent dominance not just in Spain but in Europe.

The club were pondering two ideas for expansion, the first being the expansion of the original stadium whilst the second was to build a new one. The later proposal had plans developed by Lord Norman Foster and was to hold a capacity of 106,000 people. The build featured a new roof and outer-shell which surrounded the original stadium and had a beautiful mosaic like outside with translucent tiles that glowed during games.

However, on the 22^nd January 2014, it was decided that the original stadium was to be expanded, scrapping Lord Foster’s plans. The new plan sets to increase the capacity to 105,000 by adding a new, much steeper first tier. The stadium will also have improved functionality and accessibility making the venue which was built in 1957 much more modern. The stadium will have a roof that covers all the tiers, instead of just one and from first images looks magnificent. I am sure the expansion will continue the Nou Camp’s symbolism of Barcelona’s success.

If any of you have been to the Nou Camp then I am sure you will agree with me here that the upper tiers are already extremely steep. I went for a tour of the stadium and felt terrified of how steep the upper tier was. I cannot image how more ominous this feeling must be during a full capacity match.  The new tier may offer a better viewing experience but there really is a limit to how steep you should make your stadium and Barcelona’s is already too much.

With all that in mind, plus the 2021 expected completion date and the £495 million estimated build cost, is all worth it for an extra 5,214 fans per match? I would not say so because by 2021 the demand for tickets will outgrow the expansion and so further plan discussions will take place right after competition.

Britain's aviation hub

Britain’s Airport Hub

The issue of the UK’s aviation crisis is hot in the Government, the media and society. Heathrow cannot cope with the predicted increase of flights - from 140 million passengers to 400 million by 2050. So the debate for a plan needs to be made quickly. On the 17^th December, the Airport’s Commission shortlisted its three options for expanding the UK’s aviation capacity. These are; adding a third runway to Heathrow, lengthening an existing runway at Heathrow and building a new runway at Gatwick. The Commission also stated that they have not ruled out the possibility of the construction of a new runway in the Thames Estuary.

 

Expanding Heathrow is a strongly opposed option because the large airport already has 5 terminals and 2 runways with proposals of any expansion immediately opposed by locals. However building a new hub would decrease the use of Heathrow and not only lose the business money but also cause tens of thousands of people to lose their jobs. Another arguing case against the expansion of Heathrow is that by the time a third runway is built (estimated 2030) there would be a demand for a fourth runway.

A Thames Estuary Airport has been proposed for decades but nothing has progressed due to environmental concerns for bird species. Ideas range from runways built on artificial islands which would be connected by shuttles to the mainland terminals and then railways into London and to the Channel Tunnel.

However, another Thames airport idea is Sir Norman Foster’s Thames Hub Airport which would be built on reclaimed land and would involve a new Thames tidal barrier which would provide greater flooding protection and tidal energy.

In July, Foster + Partners submitted the final proposal for the Thames Estuary airport. These plans not only outline the 4 runway airport but also the new and much needed Thames flood barrier, and the transport links. The proposal is quite staggering due to the amount of infrastructure that is needed but really the UK’s railways are already well organised so would not need drastic developments.

The proposal for the construction of this new airport is the realisation that to secure Britain’s future economy, their global supply chains needs to be expanded. With the construction of additional runways at London’s main airports, Heathrow and Gatwick facing strong opposition, building a 4 runway one by the Thames Estuary is seen to be the favoured proposal for increasing British international trade and travel connections. The new 4 runway airport will quadruple the flight destinations to Asia and the Americas, and will service 110 million passengers a year.

The airport proposal has been submitted with high speed rail connections to London’s main stations and to other British cities. As well as linking to the nearby motorways such as the M25. The construction will also include the building of a new Thames flood barrier. With the current one needing to be rebuilt to guarantee London’s embankments’ safety, the Thames airport construction fits well with the design.

 

Foster + Partners success with many other high scale designs such as the Beijing airport makes me even more supportive of the Thames transportation hub because it not only is the best solution for the British trade economy but also as the firm is normal very efficient with delivering successful, beautiful designs.

by Tim Spears