Adidas builds intelligent soccer cleats that can outwit even Joey Barton

Impoverished football soccer clubs, with their massive stadiums, billionaire owners and millionaire star players have it awful hard, you know. If a club wanted a statistical analysis of the team's movements over the 90 minutes (more if Sir Alex Ferguson is involved) then it needs to spend big on a ProZone statistics system. That's all due to change, thanks to Adidas' new adizero f50 miCoach -- an "intelligent football boot" that includes a space for the miCoach Speed Cell, a tracking device that works like a souped-up Nike+iPod. The chip records your speed, sprint times, distance, step and stride rates, stores it for up to seven hours and pushes it over WiFi or USB to the device of your choice. You'll be able to share your stats online with friends via Facebook and compare them to pros like diminutive pitchman Lionel Messi, diminutive Welshman Gareth Bale and the, ah, not-so-diminutive Emmanuel Adebayor. A pair of boots, Speed Cell and dongle will require your bank account to shrink to the tune of €245 ($330) and will hit the stores in November -- just in time for you to sit indoors during the snowy January transfer window.
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adidas Launches adizero f50 Powered by miCoach

- The Boot with a Brain - adidas unveils the intelligent football boot -
Herzogenaurach, 29th September 2011 - Today, adidas unveils the intelligent football boot, the adizero f50 powered by miCoach. Soon to be made famous as the ground breaking 'football boot with a brain', the 2011 adizero f50 is bringing smart technology to the field of play.
Football is faster than ever before and the need for speed has never been greater. Now powered by miCoach, the adizero f50 is not only the fastest boot on the planet, it is also the smartest. miCoach turns the adizero f50 into the ultimate digital training tool by letting you track and upload performance data including speed, maximum speed, number of sprints, distance, distance at high intensity levels and time.

The adizero f50 boot includes a cavity in the outsole unit which houses the revolutionary miCoach SPEED_CELL™. The miCoach SPEED_CELL™ captures 360° movement and measures key performance metrics including speed, average speed (recorded every second), maximum speed (recorded every five seconds), number of sprints, distance, distance at high intensity levels, steps and stride rates. The on-board memory stores all your measurements during your game or training for up to seven hours and then wirelessly transmits the on pitch performance data to your tablet, PC or MAC.

The stats can then be shared with friends on Facebook, introducing a fun and competitive edge to training as stats can be compared between each other, or even with adidas professional players such as Leo Messi, as they upload their personal results. The stats can also be uploaded to existing training plans via the miCoach website, which are then built into personalised coaching programmes that miCoach technology creates specifically for a user.

And the revolution continues in 2012 when you will be able to play the miCoach football video game online using your own real-life abilities. Whether online or in the stadium, the adizero f50's electrifying, speed-inspired looks will leave zero doubt as to who is the fastest.

adidas Vice President of Global Football, Markus Baumann said "We have been working to develop a boot with a brain for some time and what we have produced will revolutionise the football industry. What makes the boot unique is that for the first time you will be able to compare yourself to some of the best players in the world''.

The launch of the adizero f50 also heralds an exciting new stage of development for miCoach technology. miCoach technology has always proved adidas' position as market leader in the use of data in sport to enhance athlete performance and the introduction of miCoach in the adizero f50 clearly demonstrates the capabilities of capturing and evaluating every athlete's performance by making it available to all.

"Data has been monitored and evaluated to increase performance in elite athletes for many years. adidas will now bring this service to the consumer, firstly with the launch of the adizero f50, and then through a further range of intelligent products capable of storing, monitoring and evaluating performance on the field of play" commented Simon Drabble, Director of Interactive Technology at adidas.

The adizero f50 includes other key adidas technologies including Sprintweb, which provides stability during high speed movements, Sprintskin, a revolutionary single layer synthetic for incredible ball-feel and reduced weight and Sprintframe, which uses geometrics and a new stud construction to offer the perfect balance between lightweight and stability. The adizero f50 is also lightest in class, weighing in at only 165g.\
The new adizero f50 powered by miCoach will be available at adidas own retail outlets and specialist stores worldwide from November in high energy / electricity / white and black / warning / electricity at €210. Additionally, the adizero f50 miCoach bundle is available from wholesale outlets at €245 and includes a pair of adizero f50 boots (in colorways as before), a Speed Cell™ and a smart device dongle miCoach CONNECT for iPod and iPhone as well as the miCoach CONNECT for PC / MAC.

For further information please contact:
Robert Hughes
Global PR Manager Football
Email: Robert.Hughes@adidas.com
Tel: +49-160 884 6856