Umbro have been impressing this season in more way than one. First, they have been producing some excellent football shirts for top clubs in the Premier League, including the Manchester City 10/11 Home Shirt. They’ve impressed in design while maintaining competitive prices (similar to Nike or Adidas shirts).
Another area where Umbro has impressed tremendously has been in the area of Football Boots. The first that we’ll take a closer look at is the Umbro GT, Umbro’s new speed boots. Besides having one of the best designed advertising campaigns for football I’ve seen in a long time, Umbro has also made a boot that is light, attractive, and also low cost, which is a combination you rarely find these days.
Amazing promotional campaign. Nike always does a good job in advertising their new boots, but I haven’t seen a campaign like this one before, they just look great and the design around the add is fantastic.
Here’s another one:
Darren Bent is pretty lucky to be featured in this advertising campaign in my opinion, mainly because it is a very memorable campaign and he isn’t that high profile of a player. It’s a very modern campaign in general, and it does seem like it’s aimed at the younger generation, who are likely to prefer the affordable boots that are also “cool.”
Anyways, here are the boots:
The design of the boot is a big reminder of exactly why the Nike Mercurial Vapors initially became very famous, being simple, light (at least back then), and overall very appealing. The Vapors kind of broke through all of the leather classics and became the number 1 boot around the world. While Nike has changed the boot around in its 2010-2011 football boot collection, it lost some of the appeal it initially had, which is what the Umbro GT aims to capitalize on.
Umbro described the boot on their blog:
“In creating the Umbro GT, we were looking for a solution that brought the idea of speed to life in a way that would make living and playing in the fast lane seem like the only way to go. And here it is – a concept that smashes art, lifestyle and speed together to create super-charged-pop-powered-art. We reckon it leaves our competition floundering in our slipstream, what about you? Great, we’re glad you’re up to speed – now here’s more info on what makes the Umbro GT so special…”
I think the most representative part of that long quote is the bit that says “a concept that smashes art, lifestyle, and speed together.” That’s exactly what this whole campaign signifies, and what the boot is symbolic for. They got it spot on.
The upper is made from Japanese Teijin micro-fibre. The upper on the Umbro GT is designed to reduce weight, increase strength and provide a streamlined shape for the wearer. The Teijin micro-fiber is the same material that you find on the new Nike Superfly II boots. Teijin micro-fiber is an ultra-fine fiber that is resistant to slippage, yet delicate and comfortable, while ensuring high absorbency and opaqueness. It is expected to be used for a wide range of applications, ranging from clothing to industrial materials.
Darren Bent said that “not only is the boot incredibly lightweight, which will help my speed on the pitch, it also looks good. I like to play my football with a degree of style and it is great to have footwear that reflects this.” Umbro GT also features our innovative A-frame cradle, which first featured on our classic Speciali boots. This offers vital support in the middle of the foot, providing better balance and more confidence for the faster player. Also have to love the orange studs, they look fantastic. No carbon-fiber for the GTs, as the price would likely go up quite a bit if it had them.
The view from the top shows the similarity between the Umbro GT and earlier Mercurial Vapors, and honestly I can’t complain. There are also micro-holes on the tongue, which increase breathability and allows for more air flow, while also taking some grams off of the weight.
The new Umbro GT’s also feature an area on the interior of the foot which gives extra grip. This is something that Vapors don’t have, but it’s quite a nice addition in my opinion. It’s a grip non-slip surface that should help while curling the ball. A significant improvement from Nike’s Vapors.
The Umbro GT weighs 236 grams, which is around 8.3 oz. This is about 26 grams more than the Nike Mercurial Vapor Superfly II, 72 grams heavier than the Adidas F50 adiZero, and 86 grams heavier than the Puma v1.10 Lightning SL.
However, they cost only £84.99, which is a lot less than the adiZero, Puma v1.10, and especially a lot less than the Mercurial Vapor Superfly II. It’s nice to have an affordable speed boot. We’ll have a performance review for you soon, so keep tuned for more on the GT’s!
What do you think of the Umbro GT? Is it a boot that you have or are interested in?
You can buy yours by clicking the image blow:
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