As the game developed then the football boot emerged as an essential part of the sport. Contemporary pictures of amateur teams (circa 1870) display a mixed bunch of rugged workboots. Not until the last decade of the century do teams appear to wear the same boots. Not surprisingly there were no regulation governing boots other than they must no wear anything that may endanger their opponents.

In the early days football boots weighed approx. 500 grams when dry and twice as much when wet. When manufacturers were made aware the boot was only in contact with the ball for about 10% of the game, they developed less heavy boots. Lighter footwear meant players were less exhausted and subsequently the overall speed of play increased