FG, AG or IC? How to choose your football boots

Most boots carry a short code after their name. It describes the soleplate, and wearing the wrong one is one of the most common causes of slips and sore joints in amateur football.

The codes

FG (firm ground) boots have moulded studs for dry natural grass. AG (artificial grass) boots use more, shorter studs that spread the load on modern 3G pitches. SG (soft ground) boots have longer, often metal studs for wet, muddy fields. IC (indoor court) shoes have a flat rubber sole for sports halls and futsal, and TF (turf) shoes have many small rubber pimples for hard artificial surfaces.

What we see in Armenia

Most five-a-side pitches in Yerevan are artificial grass, so AG or TF soles are the safest everyday choice. If you play on natural grass at the weekend, an FG boot is fine on artificial grass only now and then.

Getting the size right

Try boots on in the afternoon, when your feet are slightly larger, and wear the socks you play in. Leave about half a thumb of space in front of your longest toe. Leather stretches a little; synthetic and knit uppers hardly at all.