XBlades is an Australian

sports equipment Sports equipment, sporting equipment, also called sporting goods, are the tools, materials, apparel, and gear used to compete in a sport and varies depending on the sport. The equipment ranges from balls, nets, and protective gear like helmets. ...

manufacturing company engaged in the design, development and selling of products primarily related to footwear and

clothing Clothing (also known as clothes, apparel, and attire) are items worn on the body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin sheets of materials and natural ...

. The company was established in 1989 to make shoes for athletes who played

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In it ...

and Australian rules football. The company is the original creator of the bladed sole

football boot Football boots, called cleats or soccer shoes in North America, are an item of footwear worn when playing association football. Those designed for grass pitches have studs on the outsole to aid grip. From simple and humble beginnings football ...

, designed to minimize injury for athletes.

History

XBlades was established by David Miers, a biomechanist who was listed with

AFL AFL may refer to: Sports * American Football League (AFL), a name shared by several separate and unrelated professional American football leagues: ** American Football League (1926) (a.k.a. "AFL I"), first rival of the National Football Leagu ...

club Collingwood in the 1980s. He suffered many knee injuries throughout his career, which he attributed to his studded boots, leading him to create a rubber-soled shoe with X-shaped 'blades' as an alternative. In 2016, XBlades was acquired by former

Callaway Golf Callaway, legally Topgolf Callaway Brands Corp., is an American global sports equipment manufacturing company that designs, manufactures, markets and sells golf equipment, more specifically clubs and balls, also including accessories such as b ...

director Leighton Richards and former AFL player

Jimmy Bartel James Ross Bartel (born 4 December 1983) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). A utility, tall and weighing , Bartel contributed as a midfielder, forward, an ...

References

External links

* {{Running shoe brands Australian companies established in 1989 Clothing brands of Australia Sportswear brands Sporting goods manufacturers of Australia Multinational companies headquartered in Australia

History

See also

References

External links