da realsbet： There is no denying how much football has evolved as a sport over the years, with advancements in technology and facilities transforming the game completely.
da bet7k： Pitches no longer resemble the mud baths of yesteryear and are now akin to a brand new carpet, conducive to slick passing football.
Football boots have also been revolutionised by the various sports manufacturers to make them lighter and easier to wear in a fast-paced game.
Despite these advancements, one must question the relentless changes to our beautiful game and whether they are always necessarily beneficial – with a popular link to be made between technological changes and injury.
There is adding credence to the debate that lighter football boots are causing more injuries in the game, particularly those highly-publicised metatarsal injuries to Wayne Rooney and David Beckham in the past few years.
One of the leading innovative lightweight designs is Adidas’ F50 miCoach boots that supposedly has “a brain”, containing a micro chip to measure the wearer’s performance on the pitch. The boot also records statistics such as a player’s average speed, maximum speed, number of sprints, distance covered and distance at high intensity levels.
They were priced at a mammoth £245 when first released, weighing just 165 grams and Adidas were keen to take advantage of the public’s obsession to buy boots worn by their heroes.
But many doctors are warning amateur footballers against wearing boots owned by professionals, claiming the lack of protection to their feet can be dangerous and that the focus should be on safety rather than speed on the pitch.
They explain that professional footballers would receive rapid treatment for the common metatarsal injury, whereas a broken foot is the last thing a working man would want and recovery time is usually much longer.
Football boots are also known to cause injuries to other players, with the most high profile recent incident involving Hugo Rodallega inadvertently lacerating Wayne Rooney’s thigh with his studs.
It has led to calls for more thorough checks of players’ footwear before entering the field of play, despite Rodallega’s boots being given the once over by the fourth official.
The Colombian wore boots that had a mixture of studs and blades and narrowly missed Rooney’s femoral artery, as the Manchester United striker attempted to block the Fulham star’s shot.
Wigan manager, Roberto Martinez added to the debate by claiming this type of boot benefits wingers by adding more speed to their game, but is too dangerous for tackling.
But it is not only the technological changes in boots which are causing injuries, but the latest football pitches are also creating problems.
Modern day playing surfaces are lush on top with three per cent synthetic grass fibres, but require extensive watering to allow any give in the turf.
Additionally, there is also belief that modern-day football pitches are causing harm to players, with the harder surfaces increasing the likelihood of picking up injuries.
They are so well-maintained with synthetic materials that a player going into a challenge will not be able to slide along in the turf and could damage bone or muscle instead.
Advancements in technology are all well and good, but it seems that football is becoming a victim of its own success in some respects, with the need to investigate the link between modern equipment and injury being apparent for all to see.
You can follow on me on twitter: @JamesHilsum
[post_link url=” https://www.footballfancast.com/premiership/the-15-great-polar-opposites-within-football, https://www.footballfancast.com/premiership/football-fancast-paints-a-picture-of-the-modern-footballer, https://www.footballfancast.com/football-blogs/top-players-in-europe-who-would-be-the-perfect-fit-in-the-premier-league,https://www.footballfancast.com/premiership/the-football-quarterbacks-and-their-role-within-the-game,https://www.footballfancast.com/premiership/arsenal/the-ideal-role-for-theo-walcott” target=”_blank” type=”grid”]