adidas F50 adizero miCoach Launch Event - adidas HQ, Germany
It's potentially the most sensational boot launch of all time, with the most revolutionary football boots to ever hit the pitch. So to launch the new adidas F50 adizero miCoach football boots, SoccerBible received an exclusive invite to adidas HQ Germany...
Boarding the flight to Germany we knew we were in for something special, it's not every day you get an invite to the home of adidas football, and true to form adidas didn't disappoint. The F50 adizero miCoach isn't your ordinary football boot, in fact it's completely ground-breaking, so to make sure everyone fully realises the capabilities of miCoach, SoccerBible joined a select global media in Germany to meet the team responsible for the boots creation, and to give them a run out on a Bundesliga pitch.
The world and the game of football has been left in awe after adidas' latest innovation, we all know how data has influenced football with players briefed before and after games on their performance, but to make this information readily available to your average footballer really is dream territory.
Making this technology available, adidas are aligning every footballer with the likes of Lionel Messi, Gareth Bale and Luis Suarez, and for this excursion to Germany that included SoccerBible!
Adidas have long been innovators in football, and have been shaping the future of boot design for over 50 years, who can deny the impact the adidas Predator has had on the game. So arriving at the ultra modern looking easyCredit-Stadion in Germany, the home of FC Nuremberg, anticipation levels were running quite high!
Before taking our seats in the conference room for a briefing by Simon Drabble, the director of miCoach at adidas, we had time to get our hands on a pair of very cool blacked-out adidas F50 adizero miCoach football boots, but we were yet to realise the full capabilities miCoach offers to a players performance.
Described as the "the next generation of football innovation", the inclusion of adidas' interactive personal training opens up new dimensions to training. And as every professional footballer will tell you, you make it to the top through hard work and constant training to improve.
The actual Speed Cell micro-chip is incorporated into the football boot, and fits into a slot buried beneath the sock-liner and in a position so as to not affect performance, exactly the same as endorsed players will wear. The chip lets you track your performance during a match, highlighting 360-degree movement, so not just linear action as per similar setups for runners.
The adidas F50 adizero miCoach football boots collect data on your speed and distance throughout the game, and will break this down over the course of the 90 minutes. When paired with the Speed Cell software, your detailed performance data includes such key information as your average speed, the distance you covered, the time you spent walking, the number of sprints and your top speed. All through a wireless connection that operates from a USB dongle.
SoccerBible got the chance to meet and shake the hand of a man who must have, obviously apart from working for SoccerBible, the dream job. Adidas product manager Andreas Konrads is the man at the heart of the adizero miCoach football boots, who has driven the project forward since it's inception, and to answer all the questions of our fans we grabbed an exclusive interview with Andreas, so stay tuned for that one.
Stating "it was important we didn't sacrifice any performance benefits Andreas talked us through the tech side of the new F50 the world's first boot with a brain , highlighting the three key elements; Sprintweb, Sprintskin and Sprintframe. Lightweight speed performance is once again at the heart of the adizero, and at 165g fans of the first generation won't be disappointed.
To take the boots to the next level, miCoach director Simon Drabble continued and explained how the idea is not only for players to track their own performances, but to compare their stats to other players and pros online. The data also features a game built-in with an avatar powered up by your achievements.
As for the match itself, it ended 3-3 with good work from SoccerBible down the right assisting a last minute equaliser. A performance we are proud to say that earned us praise from Andreas, a self confessed fan of the site, and a compliment repaid when we told him we were fans of his boots!
You can check out our full reviews of all the adidas F50 adizero miCoach football boots released, and stay tuned for our exclusive interview with Andreas Konrads and our SoccerBible Play Test of the world's first boot with a brain. And as always, have your say and share your thoughts with the SoccerBible community online.
