Why rugby boot manufacturers must up their game to cater for women
Crewkerne player Cody Hyland recently did what most of us do ahead of a new season – go shopping for a new pair of rugby boots. When she questioned the lack of boots for women and girls, she was told she would have to purchase boys’ boots or look online as they didn’t sell them in-store. “If these actually aren’t the best boots for my female body to play in, why don’t I have access to the kit I need in the same way my male counterparts do?”
When searching Sports Direct’s online store and filtering by gender only two options are available which – you guessed it – are men’s or boys because males are the only ones who play rugby, right? The exact same issue is prevalent on Lovell Rugby. The Rugby Store was slightly better, offering an adult’s section, but still no sign of women’s or girl’s boots.
Rugby boots are mainly made and marketed for men by men. I’m in no way claiming these sporting outlets are sexist, but if the shoe fits… For grassroots and elite players, this is nothing new. In a RugbyPass interview earlier this year, England’s Poppy Cleall call out sports equipment providers for the lack of women’s rugby products and its subsequent lack of visibility of female rugby players.
The topic of rugby boots for women seems to have divided the rugby community. Thea Northcott, a member of The Girls Rugby Club XV, mentioned she didn’t have any issues with playing in her boots, which are branded as boys’ boots. Others suggested the lack of female boots was down to supply and demand, arguing that the demand for female boots was not high enough to justify a female-specific line.
Wanting to learn more about the science behind this, RugbyPass spoke to Ian Griffiths, a foot and lower limb specialist who is the director at Sports Podiatry Info, to find out more. Griffiths started off the conversation by explaining: “The expectation would usually be that for a given stature adult female feet are shorter and narrower and have higher arches than their male counterparts.”
All she was doing was pointing out #rugby boots in her local sports shop are not made or marketed to women.
Did she really deserve these vile comments in response?
How is this still happening in 2021?!
Some of these people have daughters? They have mums, sisters?! pic.twitter.com/yKOBwi9GlK
— Stella Mills ? (@stella_mills_) August 31, 2021
Academic research on this supports Griffiths’ statement. As Wunderlich and Cavanagh (2001) wrote: “Female feet and legs are not simple scaled-down various of male feet but rather differ in a number of shape characteristics.” With this information to hand, questions must be raised as to why boots are not made and marketed specifically for women. If, as academic research has proven, we have different shaped feet, surely we need our kit to be made differently to support us?
Additionally, differences between male and female feet emerge early on, as research has shown differences between young boys’ and girls’ feet being visible in children as young as four years old. Therefore, the argument that junior boots can and should be unisex is questionable.
Speaking specifically on rugby boots available to female players, Griffiths continued: “My experience is that those marketed as ‘female’ are usually essentially just scaled-down versions of the male versions. I have not seen any dramatic differences in their design features or stud placement. “It certainly does not appear that the boot market is reflective of the playing population, nor taking into account that female feet aren’t just small versions of male feet.”
If you think this issue is restricted purely to grassroots players alone, you are mistaken. Elite level female rugby players don’t have boots made specifically for them, so they often suffer the exact same issues that grassroots women and girls do. Problems with poor fitting kit extend far beyond boots. Female players at all levels have problems with poor fitting shorts, shirts and even sports bras, but that is a topic that needs far more attention than this week’s column.
Crossing over to the football world, Ida Sports have realised the marketing potential and commercial viability behind female-specific footwear. Co-founder Laura Youngson commented: “Often people don’t realise there is a problem with unisex shoes, especially women. We are educated to believe that unisex shoes fit everyone, but they don’t. You need a shoe that is made for you because it improves performance and reduces the risk of injury.”
The brand has redesigned female football boots, ensuring studs are placed in unique positions to relieve the pressure on the soles of a player’s feet, the boots feature a narrower heel cup and wider toe box to combat pinching and avoid blisters. Wouldn’t it be great if we could have a rugby equivalent?
Women’s rugby is one of the fastest-growing sports on the planet. Therefore, the argument that there is no viable commercial audience for these boots is null and void. Sports retailers are missing out on a huge trick here. Imagine if we had access to rugby boots that fit us and supported our feet in specific ways.
Just imagine coming in from training, taking your boots off and not having to peel off multiple layers of socks because your boots are too big, or not having to apply a fresh set of blister plasters to your heels because the boots are that uncomfortable, they make you bleed.
It’s about time brands started taking their marketing more seriously and started listening to women’s rugby players because, ultimately, it’s a win-win for both sides. It is commercially attractive for the business and can be nothing but a positive for female rugby players.
'What I love about O2 is that they’ve actually been doing it for years… they came in and said: ‘We are doing this, we are going to pay the woman & the men equally’ @_JessHayden ??? spoke to @poppy_g_c about actions speaking louder than wordshttps://t.co/A8XlE1FZQ4
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 25, 2021
Comments on RugbyPass
Lets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
10 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
9 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
10 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
9 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
35 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
35 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
5 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
6 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
22 Go to comments