Originally published in TrailblazeHERS in Sports, Issue 4 | June 30, 2026
Emily Monteforte
The global cleat market is rapidly growing, from $2.5 billion in 2023 to an estimated $4.1 billion by 2032, according to AP News.
Over the past few years, cleats have been a focal point for injury reduction from companies like Caddix Cleats, Adidas and IDA Sports.
For as long as women have been allowed to play sports, they have had to wear smaller versions of men's cleats. These cleats are designed to the specifications of men’s feet without being tested on women’s feet.
Smaller brands have started taking notice. IDA Sports, a Texas-based brand solely dedicated to women’s soccer footwear, partnered with the USL Super League in April 2025 to supply its women-engineered Rise Elite cleats to players, gathering feedback and refining designs for female biomechanics, according to AP News and IDA sports.
According to IDA sports, male and female feet are different, and wearing the wrong athletic footwear can directly impact comfort, injury risk and quality of performance.
In an interview with Grant Patterson, Caddix director of partnerships and social media, he said, “We’re really proud of our approach on women’s sports, as we know that they have different anatomical builds, which has made us prioritize women in our development strategies and become one of the first companies to do that.”
Women-specific cleats are increasingly on the rise, prompting major brands to respond. Adidas recently launched the F50 SparkFusion, the brand’s first cleat engineered specifically for women. The design accounts for differences in female foot anatomy, heel shape, midfoot volume and biomechanics to enhance agility and reduce injury risk, according to Teen Vogue.
More people are taking notice. A UK parliamentary report urged better availability and variety of women’s football boots amid the rapid rise in ACL tear rates among female athletes, calling out the lack of female-specific designs from leading brands, according to The Guardian.
The rise in injuries, paired with new research, has shined more light on women-specific cleats and pushed more major brands to develop cleats of their own.
Image credit: Women’s cleats
