LOVE YOUR BOOTS

One of the most important (and expensive!) items in your kitbag are your football boots. Taking care of them, particularly after playing in wet/muddy conditions, can keep them in tip-top shape and help you maintain your performance throughout the season.

Here's our top five tips for looking after your boots -

1. Always untie and loosen your laces before taking your boots off. This avoids undue pressure being put on seams and joints when you remove the boot - it also avoids having to deal with knotted laces at a later date that have dried and tightened up.
   
   
2. Keep an old toothbrush in your kitbag to remove most of the mud and grass from the boots before leaving the venue.
   
   
3. As soon as you arrive back home give the boots a quick wipe with a damp cloth to clean off mud spatters etc. Better doing it now than a week later when it has dried in and difficult to remove.  Don't leave your boots in your kitbag!
   
   
4. If the boots are wet, stuff them with crumpled newspaper to absorb moisture and help maintain the shape of the boot as it dries out.
   
   
5. Now leave the boots to completely dry at room temperature.  Never try to speed up the process by placing them on a radiator or by using a hairdryer (a surefire way to cause splits, shrinkage and distorted boots).

Once dry and clean you can now polish and treat your boots according to the manufacturers instructions. It's important to be aware of the fact that synthetic and natural (leather) materials require different treatments to avoid damaging the boot. If the boot has studs these should be loosened and re-tightened to avoid them jamming.