Which Type of Football Boots/Studs Should You Wear on Artificial Pitches?

All hail the artificial football pitch – saviour of football fixtures being played in the UK where the chance of decent weather is, well, limited at best.Grass pitches at grassroots are like mud baths far too many weeks of the season, so artificial pitches clearly have their benefits. There are a few different types of artificial pitch but there’s one consistent thing to consider about them all – your footwear.So if you’re playing on an artificial football pitch, what are the best types of boot to wear?

Boot Categories

If you’re shopping for football boots you’ll often see them marked as one of the following:

• SG
• FG
• AG
• MG

There are others too but we’ll just focus on these outdoor ones. Here’s what they mean:

Abbreviation	Short For:	Meaning?
SG	Soft Ground	Boots for wet grass pitches generally where the ground is softer. Metal stud boots typically fall into this category. Most modern day boots also have combinations of metal studs with additional moulded plastic ones shaped in a way that is designed to stop mud and grass clogging up the boot.
FG	Firm Ground	These are boots for dry grass pitches where the ground is harder and as such your studs won’t be sinking on every step. These are typically shorter studs and instead of being metal are often moulded plastic.
AG	Artificial Ground/Grass	Artificial ground is firm under foot. As such, long studs won’t sink into so players wearing long studs would essentially just be running on top oftheir studs which increases the risk of injury. Some specifically designed AG boots have shorter moulded plastic studs explicitly for 3G AND 4G pitches.
MG	Multi Ground	Not all brands offer a multi ground boot but this type of boot is designed to be able to be used on multiple different surfaces. These are often shorter, moulded round studs

So, in short, for artificial grass pitches you typically want moulded stud boots (if they’re made specifically for AG then even better).

Can you wear metal studs on artificial grass?

No. They damage the surface.And metal studs on firm ground can also increase your risk of injury.

Can I wear astro turf boots (dimpled sole?)

Yes. Although not as ideal as a moulded stud (and some clubs don’t permit them on their surface for fear of them flattening the artificial grass strands) dimpled boots will offer some grip.

Can I wear normal flat trainers on artificial grass?

No. These flatten the surface and do not offer any grip, particularly when the surface is wet.So, in short, it’s all about AG football boots for 3G and 4G pitches.

What are the best football boots for artificial grass?

That’s a whole post unto itself. But personally, for my artificial grass boots, I feel like I’ve never been let down by Puma’s offerings. So here are some men’s, kids’ and women’s Puma artificial grass football boots.