This is the second article looking at the history of the adidas F50 football boots and their Tunit technology, you can read part one here.

The tech behind the Tunit Boots

2006 saw the launch of the brand new Adidas F50.6 TUNIT range in time for the upcoming 2006 World Cup. For the first time, the series introduced the revolutionary TUNIT (pronounced “tune it”) technology whereby, for the first time, customers could specially alter their boot depending on the playing surface. The new technology offered 52 different possible boot combinations by changing the studs, the chassis and the upper. The boots came with three sets of studs. These were short studs for hard ground, normal studs for firm ground and longer studs for soft ground.

The chassis’s, just like they did in the original F50’s, had the option to switch from lightweight, professional and comfort whilst the uppers could be switched to better suit the player or purely for preference purposes. All three of these components could be separately purchased making it easy to upgrade or repair the boot. Alongside this, there were two special additional uppers made for different weather conditions. These were known as “Climacool”, for hot weather, and “Climawarm”, for cold weather. The F50.7 TUNIT range was updated version of the boot released in 2007. However, the only major differences were a different graphic design and a sleeker silhouette.

F50.6 - The first in the TUNIT range debuts in 2006

In 2008, Adidas released the F50.8 TUNIT boot to coincide with Euro 2008. The unique boot was launched by several big stars, including Arjen Robben and Lionel Messi, constructing their own boot before presenting it on a stage. The most distinctive feature of the new boot was the translucent heel and sole known as “Alles Klar” technology. This new feature reduces the weight of the shoe whilst giving different degrees of flexibility and stability dependant on what part of the foot needs more protection and movement than others. The result was a simple, attractive and modernised boot which endorsed itself to several big name players.

Translucent heel and sole - F50.8 TUNIT range

As a special feature leading up to the European Championships, Adidas also produced a special TUNIT 16 range of boots. This range provided design elements and characteristics of the flags of the 16 different countries competing in the tournament.

The "Holland" boot - TUNIT 16 range

Just several months after the F50.8 was released, Adidas launched the F50.9 TUNIT range in November 2008. The F50.9 range retained the “Alles Klar” technology and customisation features of previous boots whilst adding new improvements along the way. The first major change in the new boot is that the lace cover has been welded onto the upper without any seams. This innovative design provides a favourable fit and a smooth kicking surface. The boot also features a lightweight microfiber synthetic “Adigrip” upper to improve ball control in wet conditions and to give the boot a glove-like fit.

adidas F50.9 TUNIT range