Nike Elastico Superfly IV Release

             With all the hype and success that has surrounded Nike’s release of the Mercurial Superfly IV early this spring, it is no surprise that they have chosen to expand on it. This highly anticipated release came with no shortage of technical improvements, and with the mid-cut design with a knitted upper, the boot looked to revolutionize the modern soccer footwear. From the World Cup this summer to the start of club seasons, the top professional players have been promoting and sporting these cleats, drawing the attention of many fans and other players. Now that summer has ended and indoor training is approaching, Nike has released its new line of indoor-specific boots, including a new Elastico-Superfly hybrid.

            This summer, Nike had a limited-release Superfly indoor that was assumed by many to be a sort of test to if customers were willing to pay a premium price for an indoor version of their top-end outdoor shoe. The stock at all places to purchase these boots sold out almost instantly, and the market for premium indoor shoes was proven to be present. Now, towards the beginning of this fall, new colorways of the Elastico Superfly were released alongside the updated Elastico Finale indoor line. With the success of the outdoor version of this shoe being so great, it seemed inevitable that the top-end shoes would end up on the indoor courts. This indoor version of the Superfly keeps the vital technology of the outdoor version, such as the mid-cut design, the Flyknit upper, and the Flywire integrated into the upper. Also, this model adds things more necessary to indoor playing surfaces, such as a viable traction pattern, and gets rid of technology unimportant indoors, such as Nike’s All Conditions Control, an application to the upper that is supposed to help maintain control when playing in all weather conditions. As indoor courts should be free of rain and mud, this feature shouldn’t be necessary and it’s good to see it leave the indoor model as it should help to keep the price down. With this release by Nike of a successful, top-end outdoor model of boot being integrated into an indoor model, with alterations of course, it will be interesting to see if other brands take to similar tactics. Also, we may see further integration by Nike, bringing some of their other top boot lines to indoor courts.