The German sports brand has long been heralded by women as the benchmark for supporting athletes. Back in 2021, women’s football agent Jasmina Covic noted how other brands were hijacking PUMA’s investment in female footballers.
“They [PUMA] were the only brand that supported women’s football,” she told Goal.com. “Now they have the problem that the players are being poached by Adidas and Nike.
“With women, there is a huge fight for sponsors, supplier contracts and equality. You fight for everything, so to speak. It is much easier for an average male Bundesliga player than for an average female Bundesliga player.”
PUMA’s spending in the women’s game may now be being matched – and even surpassed – by rivals, but in terms of tailoring the boots it supplies to women, it remains ahead of the field.
While Nike and Adidas have dipped their toes in the water by launching boots it claims are for women, PUMA is the only brand within the “big three” fully committed to providing bespoke products. Nike, for example, launched the Phantom Luna 1 in June last year, a boot specifically designed for women’s players. However, it has since discontinued the line in favour of unisex models such as the Phantom Luna 2. It does, however, offer what it claims to be a safer, more female-friendly stud pattern on some such boots.
Adidas meanwhile, has launched what it is marketing as a women’s version of its F50 silo. This model, which features a mid-cut collar, remains for general sale but contains no unique performance characteristics that set it apart from the men’s variant.
Both PUMA’s larger competitors, therefore, don’t currently seem to provide a women’s football boot that is specifically designed for women. PUMA, however, continue to do so.
The brand currently offer a women-specific version of each of its three silos (Future 7, Ultra 5 and King) at various price points. The differences between these boots and those marketed for men, unlike those offered by rival brands, are profound.
PUMA’s website states that, not only are the boots built with a different last, but they also feature key design differences.
“Women have a different foot shape and structure to that of men, so our sports footwear is tailored to suit their needs,” they say.
“PUMA women’s football boots are tailored specifically to the female foot. We have carefully crafted the instep height and volume of our women’s boots to maximise comfort and performance for the female player. With sizes running from a EU 35,5 up to a EU 42 our women’s football boots cater for female players at any level.
“Because of these differences, PUMA women’s football boots are recommended for optimum comfort, performance and safety for the female player.”
PUMA touch on something important here, albeit one that is not yet fully backed up by science. It has been well documented that knee injuries in the women’s game are far more common than in the men’s – although ACL tears are not a rare occurrence there either.
While research is limited regarding the impact boots can have on the prevention of such injuries, it does make sense to suggest that creating boots that a better-tailored to the female foot could reduce injury by preventing the foot from moving around as much inside the boot, creating a more secure athlete experience.
Furthermore, it is undeniable that comfort for female players is being prioritised by PUMA in ways that other brands cannot offer.
Barcelona midfielder Ingrid Syrstad Engen is one of the latest female players to promote PUMA boots online. Given her profile and presence at one of the world’s leading teams, Engen is likely to have been able to have been able to secure larger a sponsorship deal with Adidas or Nike, but it is telling that she has elected not to.
Of her PUMA King women’s boots, she claimed on social media: “The support frame stabilises the foot inside the boot. These boots have a slimmer foot to feel better and play faster.”
