Running fast on wet ground, in flat-soled shoes, holds risks at the best of times. Even the Romans put hobnails on their sandals. Add a skilled ball game and a frequent loss of control becomes a certainty. Early boots with metal studs or trim could do terrible injury in a tackle and rules were needed. The story of what has been built-in, glued and nailed onto shoes and boots over the years is fascinating history, told through the dozens of pairs of mint and game-battered sporting footwear of the last 200 years, with associated records from manufacturers and designers. From leather bars and studs to rubber aluminium and plastic materials the Football boot has been shaped and developed many times since Henry VIII ordered a pair and probably before.