Custom vs Retail Soccer Cleats: A Comprehensive Guide

Soccer cleats can indirectly determine a team’s success or failure. From providing comfort (or discomfort) to players to increasing confidence, the role it plays in teams’ performance cannot be overstated. This is why most teams are careful when choosing between custom soccer cleats or retail options.

In most cases, several factors like budget and long-term value can automatically decide on which to go for. In others, the options must be contemplated by the coach or manager.

This article explores the pros, cons, and important factors to consider when selecting between custom soccer cleats and retail. At the end of the article, you’ll be able to make an informed decision that will deliver the best results for your team.

Custom soccer cleats are personalized soccer shoes that are tailored to the exact needs and style of a soccer team or player.

In custom soccer cleats, one or more features are customized to make them exceptional and different from generic cleats available to the public. Some of these customizable features include:

Soccer teams can choose to make cleats that are customized to players’ feet. Rather than go for bulk-produced shoes with sizes that may be inconsistent with those of your players, custom soccer cleats allow you to make shoes that are true to your players’ size and fit them perfectly. They end up feeling like the shoes are made just for them, which is true, literally.

Generic and branded soccer cleats like the Nike youth soccer cleats or Mizuno soccer cleats are great options for teams. But, if uniqueness and personalization are top of the deal for your team, a soccer cleat that shows your logo, color, and even players’ names is the right choice to make. They make your team stand out of the crowd and attract sponsorship opportunities.

Playing surfaces like Firm-ground (FG), Artificial Ground (AG), and Turf ground (TG), provide grip and stability in varying proportions. The contrasting features of each of these surfaces require the production of shoes that are functional on them. Generic options that are one-size-fits-all may be ill-suited for your team’s playing conditions. However, a custom soccer cleat can be made to function perfectly on your playing surfaces.

If you have one or more players with a foot or ankle issue, an orthopedic soccer cleat customized to their feet’s heel, arch, or toe will help minimize or eliminate muscular discomfort.

At Luson Sports, we build custom soccer cleats tailored to your players’ needs, team, and playing conditions.

Retail soccer cleats are shoes that are mass-produced with the same features, styles, and colors. They are sold directly off the shelf and are not made for a specific player but to fit players in certain size ranges.

Before deciding on retail soccer cleats, you should consider the pros and cons of using them in your team.

Retail boots offer some advantages like:

Retail soccer cleats are usually produced before demand is made. Therefore, they can be gotten immediately after you make a purchase.

Compared to custom soccer cleats, retails are cheaper because they require no branding or customized features. Their mass production makes them faster to produce and requires no special materials for customization. This makes them cheaper and cost-effective for teams looking for affordable soccer shoes.

In a retail soccer shoe store, you can get a wide variety of popular brand models like Nike youth soccer cleats or Mizuno soccer cleats, and unpopular ones too. This setting provides you with lots of options for you and your team players to choose from.

Retail soccer cleats may provide cost-effective solutions, immediate delivery, and a variety of options. But, it is not without its disadvantages. Below are common drawbacks associated with retail soccer cleats.

With retail stores, getting soccer cleats that are your players’ exact fit may be challenging. Your players have different foot lengths, width, and build and a shoe that fits perfectly is important for comfort and performance. Retail soccer cleats, however, do not guarantee this as they are tailored for a general audience.

Retail soccer cleats come with zero personalization and branding. They come in the same color, style, and fit as the ones sold to the public. No differentiating quality to make your team’s players and sponsors stand out in the crowd.

Standard performance features of retail cleats are not designed to fit all play conditions. For example, indoor soccer cleats for youth will not function optimally in outdoor spaces and vice-versa. This limiting quality makes retail options ill-fit for specific playing conditions.

FeatureCustom Soccer CleatsRetail Soccer CleatsFit & ComfortTailored to individual feetStandard sizes onlyDesign OptionsFull personalizationBrand designs onlyInjury PreventionCustom support optionsGeneric fitTeam BrandingTeam logos, names, and colorsNot availableDelivery Time2–6 weeks (on average)Instant (in-store/online)CostHigher per pairLower in bulk

Different factors come into play when choosing between custom soccer cleats and retail options. However, some are more important and should play a huge role in determining which option to settle for. They are:

Your budget is a huge determiner of your choice of soccer cleats. Calculating your team’s estimated budget for each player’s soccer shoes should determine whether you should go for highly/mildly personalized or generic options.

If your budget can accommodate higher costs, a custom soccer cleat is a better option to go for as they offer personalized fit, sizing, and branding which results in increased performance.

In 2021, 3DBodyTech conducted research to estimate the fit of women’s running shoes. The study revealed that out of 90,000 3D scans, only 60% of the models fitted as a true US 9 medium.

This is because players have different foot shapes and sizes. Some feet are narrow while some are wider. Some have bigger toe boxes, while some have smaller ones. The wide disparity in the study confirms that retail shoes are unable to fit all feet belonging to the same size.

Therefore, meeting your players’ needs and providing comfort for them requires that you customize their cleats. This will ensure better fit, more comfort, and increased performance.

Your choice of soccer cleats should also depend on how long it takes to be manufactured and delivered.

Retail shoes do not have a problem as they are usually readily available and are bought off the shelf. Custom soccer cleats, on the other hand, need to be produced according to desired shapes, sizes, and styles. Therefore, they will take more time for production and delivery.

Retail shoes are mass-produced and this could mean an increased chance of finding low-quality, inconsistent sizing and construction defects in them.

When deciding on which to opt for, consider what your priority is. Are you looking to fit into a lean budget or do you want something that can last long? What matters most to you will help you decide which is the better option to go for.

Luson Sports produces and delivers custom soccer cleats that are specifically tailored to your players’ needs, meet FIFA standards, and offer comfort.

Most clubs and soccer teams are increasingly leaning towards customized sports gear for their players. This is because it has been proven to provide several benefits for their team.

Below are some of the major reasons why teams prefer to customize their soccer cleats over buying from a soccer shoe store.

A survey by ECA showed that up to 82% of female soccer players across Europe experience discomfort while wearing traditional soccer boots. These issues such as blisters and injuries are the results of cleats that do not fit a player’s foot. Using custom soccer cleats, however, eliminates all of these as they are produced specifically for a player’s feet. This leads to comfort and an improved experience on the field.

Customized soccer cleats with players’ names and numbers create a sense of identity in them and boost their morale. This increases their confidence and results in higher performance.

Teams prefer custom soccer cleats over retail options because it allows them to create shoes that are perfectly suited for their players’ positions, play styles, and surfaces. For example, strikers need cleats that are lightweight for speed and agility with strong ball grip capabilities than goalkeepers, who require cleats that provide comfort and stability.

In summary, custom soccer shoes blend a number of personalized features to make the cleats perfectly fitted and functional for the players. The best turf soccer boots, for example, is one that is made specifically for turf playing surfaces and customized to the user’s feet.

Whether you’re a club manager looking to customize your team’s soccer cleats or you’re a distributor selling soccer shoes, finding the right manufacturer that can maintain quality is an important part of the process.

Luson Sports is an OEM and ODM sports gear manufacturing company that produces soccer cleats for both retail stores and clubs seeking personalized versions.

We’ve been serving sports managers, club owners, and sports gear distributors across Europe, North America, the Middle East, and the US with high-quality soccer cleats.

Whether your budget only affords generic options or you want customized gear for your soccer team, we can serve your needs. All our soccer cleats are produced to ensure fit, provide maximum comfort, and enhance performance.

Reach out to us today to book your consultation and discuss your soccer cleats needs.