Adidas Released Its First Cleat for Women and Star Trinity Rodman Helped Design It

Adidas is stepping up for women’s soccer in a major way with the release of the F50 SparkFusion, the brand’s first-ever cleat designed specifically for female athletes. This isn’t just another product drop; it’s a reflection of the growing recognition of women’s soccer and the dedication to creating gear that truly supports the players. With input from athletes like Trinity Rodman, who helped shape the design, the F50 SparkFusion acknowledges the unique needs of women on the field.

It’s not just about performance — it’s about giving women the tools they deserve, honoring their athleticism, and pushing the sport forward. Quite often women’s soccer gear has been an afterthought, designed with unisex standards that didn’t always work for the players.

“How could that boot [have] changed my career, I wonder? The guys have had it forever and now today, that all changes. To me, that changes not only the boot but how women play, how they perform, and how they stay healthy,” former U.S. Women's National Team (USWMNT) member Michelle Akers says during a roundtable discussion about the historic shoe launch. “It’s a game where the difference at the highest level, it gives you that extra which has the ability to change the game.”

Citing that women’s feet are shaped differently — with narrower heels, higher arches, and more mid-foot volume — Adidas developed a custom fit system called the FUSIONLAST. It’s designed to offer a more secure, comfortable fit from heel to toe, making quick cuts and fast direction changes feel easier and more natural.

We caught up with lead designer Mahsa Aryan, and the players who helped bring the F50 SparkFusion to life, Trinity Rodman of Washington Spirit and Mia Fishel of Chelsea F.C. Women, to hear about the inspiration, process, and what this moment means for women’s soccer.

Teen Vogue: How did this come to be, what were the initial steps in bringing this to life from ideation to creation?

Mahsa Aryan: This has been in the works for many many years, we have always been mulling over the idea, “Do we create a women’s only cleat?”

When we pulled a group of our internal experts together, we had this conversation about three and a half years ago. And we said, well, we have enough data and insights to say that there is a need for it. Anatomically, her foot shape is different and bio-mechanically, we believe that she moves differently on pitch and therefore needs boots that are catered towards her. So that was kind of the starting point of kicking everything off, but really throughout the entire process, the basis of everything was really just making sure that no matter what decisions we were making, they're found on female insights and what we believe is best for the the women players.

TV: So during this process did you work closely with female athletes? Were they part of the conversation? How did that work?

MA: Absolutely, we work with our female and male players throughout all of our creations and in this one we wanted to heavily skew and only speak with female players. And one of the first female players I was very involved with from the beginning was Trinity Rodman.

And she told us right off the bat, first of all, how important it is to have a mid-cut silhouette. So the one that actually has a sock on it is her preferred style, and she said that, you know, when you come to North America and you see women play, that's the vast majority of the type of boots that we play in.

And then from there, every single conversation that we had involved either her or other pro players because we wanted to make sure that whatever we're creating obviously isn't being created in a vacuum. Whether it's our grassroots players or our professional players, [they] are really involved and approving everything from functionality of the boot to the design.

TV: What does this cleat mean to you?

Trinity Rodman: Developing tailored products for the women’s game is a huge win and it was incredible to be a part of the design and research journey for the F50 SparkFusion. I love how the cleat is built to support quick changes in direction, something very important to my game. And, I can’t wait to get out on to the pitch with them on.

Mia Fishel: I put it on a couple of months ago as a prototype, and I immediately felt this comfortability in my shoe that I haven't felt wearing a men's cleat. Adidas always asked for our feedback, and so there’s this really organic collaboration with them.

TV: What does this cleat say about the current moment in women’s soccer?

MA: What this cleat means for her is that she's allowed to have something that's catered to her and she should be getting, whether it's kits, whether it's how the game is played, whether it is how her viewership is perceived. Everything should be catered to to the needs of the professional players because they're incredible, they're superstars, and they need to be elevated. I feel like that's what we're trying to achieve here.

MF: You see this growth in women’s soccer like no other — viewerships, the money being involved. It's just this is a new era. Now that there’s a cleat just for us, it’s just amazing.

These interviews have been lightly edited and condensed for clarity.