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Hello,

I currently serve as child welfare officer for our local youth football (soccer) club and have two children aged 10 and 12 who play. At this time of year, when the evening air becomes very moist and the grass stays wet most of the day, I have noticed that when they come home from a practice or a match, their socks are fully saturated.

Football is a year-long sport and it is generally accepted that, between October and March, participants should expect to be cold and that their feet are going to get wet - that's just how it is.

Looking at the guidance issued by the Football Association on the subject of Child Protection, clubs are obliged to protect the well-being of the child and this includes "ensuring that children have appropriate clothing for the conditions". To not do so may be interpreted as negligence, which is one of the five forms of abuse identified in FA child protection guidance.

The problem is that 1) the football boots available by the major manufacturers are not waterproof - so even moisture from the grass in winter gets through the boot and onto the sock very quickly and 2) the amount of moisture collected on the nylon / acryllic sock, both from perspiration and from the outside moisture getting through the boot, means that the wetness sits on the foot for the duration of the time outdoors which is usually between 2 and 3 hours.

The same can apply for Rugby or any other cold weather outdoor activity where the footwear is not waterproof.

It was recommended that I introduce this issue through this forum and thus pose the following:

1) is there potential for long term damage to the foot resulting from cold / wet feet due to outdoor winter sport?
2) should more be done to safeguard the well-being of the foot, e.g., the provision of a waterproof type sock to be worn under the normal football sock?
or
3) is this just a part of life that kids today have to get used to the same as we did when growing up?

Many thanks for your considerations.

Even in relatively warm Australia we know that sox for outdoor winter sports should be made of wool...or something better ...not acrylicnasty synthetics. Having taught outdoor education, skiing etc...my advice, the boot should be treated with the best proofing you can find, usually in Outdoor specialty shops, and wear polypropylene or chlorofibre liner sox under wool and it will be as good as you can make it without upgrading the quality of the boot. The chance of actual damage to young feet inside 2-3 hrs is more about temperature than wetness, the immersion problems relate more to multiple days and weeks spent wet, like walking in SW Tasmania where it rains about 320 days a year. Wet soogy skin is more prone to blisters of course.
Regards Phill

Michael

>my advice, the boot should be treated with the best proofing you can find, usually in Outdoor specialty shops, and wear polypropylene or chlorofibre liner sox under wool and it will be as good as you can make it without upgrading the quality of the boot. The chance of actual damage to young feet inside 2-3 hrs is more about temperature than wetness, the immersion problems relate more to multiple days and weeks spent wet....

Good advice from Phil. The likelihood of Trench foot from short exposure to cold and damp is unlikely but with pre pubescent and kids with poor circulation, chilblains are not uncommon. Especially if they warm their feet quickly after games. The secret, even in damp conditions is to keep the foot at a constant temperature. Thermoplastics are very good for this purpose and can be fitted easily into soccer boots. Often the material is already part of the boot as the in sock but is worn over a top cover which markedly reduces the insulation properties of the polymer. Under these circumstances it is best to wear them upside down.

Trapping air next to the skin surface is a good ploy and this can be done in several ways. Professionals will often wear two pairs of socks. One thin pair under their soccer socks. This is very good for preventing shearing stresses on the skin (prevents blisters) but also between the layers of sock as well as the way the sock has been knitted, small air sacks become heated by the body and from a useful insolation around the foot. This happen even in wet circumstances.

>I have noticed that when they come home from a practice or a match, their socks are fully saturated.

As part of homeostasis sweating helps regulate body temperature and so the more muscular activity the warmer the tissues become and this is controlled by sweating and evaporation. So most people will have saturated socks at the end of play. Teenager's suffer hyperidrosis (excess sweating) and this would contribute to the aftermath of play in the form of wet socks. Important to get the kids to remove their play socks as soon after the game and dry their feet before putting on dry socks. In some places the kids live in their soccer boots and wear them long after they have played under these circumstances there may be more concern. But it is unusual.

It is important for players to keep warm in cold circumstances. Playing kids soccer myself I have memories of standing like a statue for long periods in very cold conditions. Goal keepers are particularly prone to this. That would not be a clever thing to do if you have a poor circulation. So obviously warming up and warming down as well as keeping moving during quiet passages of play are a good idea in cold conditions. Wearing fingerless mittens helps prevent chilblains on the fingers and a woollen hat is not a bad idea too. Most of body heat is lost through the head.


Looking at the guidance issued by the Football Association on the subject of Child Protection, clubs are obliged to protect the well-being of the child and this includes "ensuring that children have appropriate clothing for the conditions". To not do so may be interpreted as negligence, which is one of the five forms of abuse identified in FA child protection guidance.

Suitable clothing under these circumstances really relates to regulated footwear and with the exception of studs there is little else.

The problem is that 1) the football boots available by the major manufacturers are not waterproof - so even moisture from the grass in winter gets through the boot and onto the sock very quickly

Transfer of water is preferred principally to move it away from the skin surface. To wear watertight boots would probably increase the likelihood of foot pathologies. There are examples of this in army boots.

The boot needs to allow transfer. New designs from the last World Cup concentrated on shoe ventilation and there was a flury of interest in biotechnology in sock construction. Simply put this involved anti-microbial fibres in the sock construction and metallic strips which were thought to aid evaporation. Arguably these innovations were to cope with high temperature conditions but they would also be relevant to high sweating in any condition.

Phil's advice about feeding the leather is a good one and just keeps the upper surface, supple. This allows the foot to do what comes naturally and not have to work against a degraded upper.


and 2) the amount of moisture collected on the nylon / acrylic sock, both from perspiration and from the outside moisture getting through the boot, means that the wetness sits on the foot for the duration of the time outdoors which is usually between 2 and 3 hours.

Wearing two pairs of socks with the under pair cotton/wool mix helps wick the water from the foot surface and the bulk of the moisture is absorbed into the full body of the sock combination. So although the sock is saturated the surface of the foot remains remarkable dry.


1) is there potential for long term damage to the foot resulting from cold / wet feet due to outdoor winter sport?

In the vast majority of cases no but precautions a re recommended. Persistent symptoms should be investigated further.

2) should more be done to safeguard the well-being of the foot, e.g., the provision of a waterproof type sock to be worn under the normal football sock?

There has been a revolution in sock technology and it is worth having a closer look at the sports stores' wears

or

3) is this just a part of life that kids today have to get used to the same as we did when growing up?

Ostensibly there is no difference in the game from its inception. Recent concerns expressed by the Soccer Moms however have certainly increased the interests of the boot makers and game officials to reduce injury. So the potential for improvement is there.

Rugby boots < http://www.podiatry.curtin.edu.au/rugby.html>
Soccer boots < http://www.podiatry.curtin.edu.au/worldcup/soccer.html>

Cheers
Cameron

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Cameron Kippen, Podologist and Shoe Historian




Cameron Kippen