9 hours ago
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Jeff Kassouf
Apr 24, 2025, 04:26 PM ET
The players national for the USL Super League has partnered with women's shot footwear institution IDA Sports to supply its cleats to each the league's athletes.
Texas-based IDA Sports is the lone institution devoted solely to shot footwear specifically engineered for women, based connected biomechanical needs. The company's premise is that cleats made specifically for women assistance trim injuries, including ACL tears, which women are up to 8 times much apt to incur than men, according to immoderate caller studies.
The concern with the USLPA was announced connected Thursday. All funny players successful the USL Super League volition person IDA Sports Rise Elite cleats for crippled day. The players volition besides supply feedback that volition assistance the institution with aboriginal designs.
The eight-team USL Super League is presently successful its archetypal season. The pro league sits astatine the apical of the women's shot pyramid successful the United States alongside the much established National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).
"Like the USL Players Association, IDA's fig 1 precedence has ever been to enactment and supply the champion resources to women athletes," IDA Sports co-founder Laura Youngson said successful a statement. "We are thrilled to grow our web to see the talented players of the USL Super League, who are changing the scenery of the women's crippled successful the United States, thing we astatine IDA absorption connected each day."
IDA Sports partnered with the NWSL Players Association for the merchandise of its Rise Icon cleat that celebrated Women's History Month. A information of the income went to the NWSLPA.
Michele Kang, the bulk proprietor of the Washington Spirit, is an capitalist successful IDA Sports. Last year, she led a $2 cardinal concern circular into the company, which aligns with Kang's wider ambitions of science-backed decision-making tailored specifically to pistillate athletes.
IDA debuted its archetypal cleat successful 2020. The company's cleats see much arch support, a narrower bottommost cup, a wider toed container and shorter, conical studs. The institution says that due instrumentality -- alternatively than women wearing small-size cleats made for men -- is 1 of the factors to mitigating injuries.
The USLPA's woody with IDA Sports besides gives players entree to cleats astatine nary cost, a comparatively caller conception successful the sport.
Players who person existing footwear deals volition person a prime of whether to opt-in to person IDA cleats, an IDA spokesperson confirmed.
Nike has been a superior sponsor of the NWSL since the league's inception successful precocious 2012, outfitting kits for each club.
Many women's players bash not person sponsorship deals that would different springiness them escaped entree to cleats oregon gear. Players are besides mostly paid little than their antheral counterparts.
USL Super League president Amanda Vandervort said past twelvemonth that the league's minimum wage is comparable to the NWSL, whose minimum was $35,000 but raised to $48,500 this year.
"This concern with IDA Sports reaffirms our committedness to supporting and empowering our USL Super League members," said USLPA Assistant Director Bri Visalli.
"Partnering with IDA Sports is astir much than footwear, it's astir giving our players a dependable successful the products they usage each day. We're excited to enactment with a institution that values jock feedback and is committed to creating solutions built specifically for women."
Information from The Associated Press was utilized successful this report.
