Which football shoes for which pitch?

The letters in the name tell you the surface. Match them to where you play most:

• Firm Ground (FG): made for natural grass. adidas says the outsole of the Copa Pure IV League Firm Ground digs into dry natural grass.
• Firm Ground / Multi Ground (FG/MG): adidas says this tooling grips on both natural grass and artificial surfaces, as on the F50 Hyperfast Club and the Copa Pure IV Club.
• Turf (TF or TT): made for artificial turf. Puma says the TT outsole of the Future 5.4 TT Jr is designed to grip artificial turf surfaces. Turf is the most common soleplate on this page.
• Indoor (IC, Indoor or Sala): rubber soles for halls and courts. adidas gives the F50 Hyperfast Club Indoor a non-marking rubber outsole made for indoor courts.

Club, League, Academy or Elite?

The level word comes after the model name. Nike says its Club shoes are for players who are starting out or playing for fun, and that the Academy boots help you take your game to the next level. The Elite boots here are the Mercurial Vapor 16 Elite and the Phantom GX 2 Elite from Nike, and the Predator Elite Fold-Over Tongue from adidas. adidas also sells Club and League pairs.

Speed, control or touch?

Each range has a job. The adidas F50 and Nike Mercurial lines are built for speed. The adidas Predator uses Powerspine for midfoot stability and strike precision. The Copa Pure IV has 3D haptic prints for ball grip, and the Nike Phantom helps you play near the goal.

If you play five-a-side on artificial pitches, start with a turf pair such as the adidas Predator Club Turf. For more, see all football shoes, adidas football and Nike football.