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Growing up and participating in college and school sports often leaves you and your parents strapped to a tight budget. Since most people try out various sports before settling for one, interchanging gear is often one thing you want to do.
However, many youngsters and parents ask; can you use football cleats for lacrosse? You can use football cleats for Lacrosse. Football and lacrosse cleats might be different in terms of marketing and often have clear markings on them. However, the cleat designs of both sports are so similar that many people use them for both sports. Not only is this convenient, but it could also save you some money!
After looking at the New Balance Men’s Burn X3 Speed Lacrosse Shoe and the Nike Vapor Edge 360 Men’s Football Cleat, I could draw some comparisons between the design and why they would both work.
This article aims to show you how football and lacrosse cleats have minimal differences, and both work sufficiently for each sport.
Football Cleats vs. Lacrosse Cleats: Direct Comparison
Lacrosse cleats generally come with a porous, mesh-like material on the outer cover of the cleat to ensure breathability. On the other hand, football cleats need to have hard, non-porous material in the cleat to preserve it from the general physical stresses of football.
The table below compares football cleats and Lacrosse cleats.
| Football Cleat | Lacrosse Cleat | |
| Durability | Made from harder plastic | Made from softer plastic |
| Ventilation | Lacks some ventilation (Waterproof) | More ventilation and better airflow |
| Weight | Around 11-15 ounces | Around 11-15 ounces |
| Mobility | A stiffer design might need a break in period | No break-in period is needed due to the flexible design |
| Price | Tends to be slightly more expensive | Tends to be cheaper |
Why Do Football And Lacrosse Require Cleats?
One of the most important things to keep in mind when playing any sport is the gear. In football and lacrosse, you have numerous gear items that you could choose from, which would help improve your functionality on the field.
Before we compare the different cleats, we first need to understand why these sports require cleats.
1- Both Require Sharp Cuts And Lane Changes
One of the first things you learn when playing both lacrosse and football is the dynamics of the game. Both these sports would require the player to make sharp cuts and change direction. Doing this with a pair of normal shoes can be almost impossible due to the lack of traction. You need something that would “hook” the ground.
The studs or blades on these cleats would bury into the grass and create some stability. Stability is what would allow you to make rapid changes in different directions and allow you to move around freely.
2- Ankle Support
Since you tend to make sharp cuts with both these sports, you need something that would be effective at allowing you to change direction on a dime. However, changing direction rapidly could cause some injury to the ankles without adequate support.
One of the main features of football and lacrosse cleats is the ability to support your ankles when making these moves. Improper cleats could lead to massive injuries on the lower parts of your body.
3- Lightweight
Finally, a lacrosse game can be long, which means you would need to have something lightweight that enables you to play for extended periods without taking a break. Both lacrosse and football cleats are similar in terms of weight. Both these cleats weigh between 11 and 15 ounces, which is much lower than your standard walking shoe.
Keep in mind that soccer cleats are lighter in weight, which can be between 7 and 10 ounces. The main difference is that soccer players need a better feel for the ball because the ball is played by feet.
4- Durability
Another important feature to keep in mind is durability. The worst thing you can deal with would be when your cleat is damaged or tears whilst playing.
Nowadays, you can choose between synthetic materials and leather. Leather cleats offer more durability for football and lacrosse players, but they are more expensive as well.
5- Comfort
The comfort level of cleats is much better than those of traditional shoes. While your running shoes will have mesh, the mesh on cleats is designed to cool down your feet whilst keeping water at bay.
The ventilation aspect of cleats is very important, and you can find that it would be more comfortable if you have some elements that would cool down your feet.
Are Football And Lacrosse Cleats Similar? Let’s Look At Similarities
Once you understand the importance of wearing cleats for both these sports, it boils down to what makes them similar. You will need to ensure that you have the similarities under the belt to understand why you could use one for the other.
are some of the key similarities between football and lacrosse cleats.
1- Variable Cuts Available
One of the first similarities is that you can choose them in the ideal cut that you desire. This means that your cleats can either have mid, low, or high cuts, depending on your preference.
The higher the cut for your cleat, the more ankle protection it will provide. However, the trade-off is that the cleat would be slightly heavier.
2- Specialized Traction Pattern
The stud pattern is one of the most important when it comes to cleats. Generally, cleats have a universal stud pattern, which provides optimal traction for the player.
The stud pattern on lacrosse and football cleats is optimized for both turf and grass fields, which would make them functional for these two sports.
3- Weight
As we have already touched on, weight plays a big role when it comes to finding the optimal cleats.
Weight can help the player reduce fatigue, but heavy cleats can hold you back and make it harder to move around. You must choose a comfortable cleat that allows you to move around freely at your own pace.
How Does Lacrosse Cleats Differ From Football Cleats?
With the similarities addressed, we should also consider looking at some of the differences between these cleats. While most features are similar, there are a few differences in cleats that you should also be aware of before buying.
If you wonder if lacrosse cleats would work for football or vice-versa, here are some of the differences to note:
1- Breathability
Lacrosse cleats have a slight edge when it comes to breathability, and they often work much better when it comes to allowing air to pass through the cleat. On the other hand, football cleats lack some mesh, which means that it does not promote sufficient airflow as much.
The main reason for this is that football is played in all weather conditions, which often include ice and snow.
The main reason for the more enclosed football cleat is that it can withstand bad weather conditions slightly better. This would enable you to play in wet and snowy conditions more easily.
2- Construction Materials
Both these cleats can be found in leather and synthetic leather. However, the casing, which often covers parts of the leather, would work to promote stability in the shoe.
For lacrosse cleats, the plastic is softer, which means that it would mold and bend much better when it comes to overall performance and movement.
While the softer material is great, it could lack durability. In a sport like football, contact is more prevalent, which means that players would step on the cleats of other players, which could potentially damage the cleat.
The overall takeaway is that football cleats offer slightly more durability than their lacrosse counterparts. Field Hockey could also use similar cleats if played on grass.
3- Price
Finally, there is an element of the price that many people often wonder about. The prices seem similar from the comparisons I have done with various cleats.
One of the biggest price differences is in the brand that you choose. However, pure football cleats tend to be slightly more expensive than lacrosse cleats.
The main reason for this stems from the materials used in the construction. The harder and more durable materials used for football cleats make them a bit better for performance and longevity.
So, Can You Use Football Cleats For Lacrosse?
After thorough analysis, football cleats tend to offer more durability than lacrosse cleats, but they might also lack some ventilation and overall mobility. Once you wear the cleats a bit, the material might soften, which could give you a similar feeling to that of lacrosse cleats. In general, you should be able to comfortably use your football cleats to play lacrosse.
Using lacrosse cleats for football might be a bit different, and due to the lack of durability, the cleats could wear out much faster. Since softer materials are prevalent, you might tear the cleat when someone accidentally steps on the cleat, which could cause some damage to the overall design of the shoe.
In essence, we would recommend that you use your football cleats for lacrosse, but if you plan to play both sports, you might want to choose the football cleat as the main one you buy. Casual football players specializing in lacrosse can use their lacrosse cleats for football games. However, you might need to upgrade if the football starts getting serious.
Final Thoughts
Whether you choose lacrosse or football as your favorite sport, you should be able to have fun playing both. The cleats are very similar, and players can interchange between the two sports.
If you have used football cleats for lacrosse, I would love to see your comments and understand better how the experience felt.