Described are shoes for ball sports including an upper having an outer surface. An actuator is configured to change at least one surface property of a portion of the outer surface of the upper, and a sensor is configured to be sensitive to movements of the shoe. A processing unit is connected to the actuator and the sensor and configured to process sensor data retrieved from the sensor and to cause the actuator to change the at least one surface property of the portion of the outer surface of the upper if a predetermined event is detected in the sensor data.

An article of footwear includes an upper and a ball control region. The ball control region is formed on an exterior surface of the upper and includes at least one ball control pad having a ball control panel attached to and spaced apart from the upper by one or more flexible elements.

Footwear with integrally knit uppers having features for increasing containment around a wearer's foot, improving strength and durability, and incorporating touch feedback through increased coefficient of friction while removing weight due to traditional additional components. The knitted component may be radially knitted so that courses converge towards a common area, like the throat region of the upper. Additionally, a fusible yarn may be knit on at least the exterior-facing surface of a containment area of the knitted component to create additional lock-down along lines of containment. Further, tensile elements may be incorporated within the containment area to provide strength and lock-down along desired lines of containment. Additionally, the fusible yarn may be a grip yarn that creates areas with greater coefficients of friction.

A last for forming an upper of an article of footwear includes an exterior surface, where the exterior surface includes a plurality of three dimensional structural surface components disposed over at least 50% of the exterior surface of the last.

An article of footwear is provided and includes an upper having a bottom surface and a first plate attached to the bottom surface of the upper in a forefoot region. The first plate includes a lateral peripheral cleat disposed adjacent to a first outward-most portion of the upper on a lateral side and a medial peripheral cleat disposed adjacent to a second outward-most portion of the upper on a medial side, the medial peripheral cleat being disposed closer to an anterior end of the first plate than the lateral peripheral cleat.

An article of footwear has a sole including a toe portion and a heel portion, a toe bumper disposed on the toe portion, the toe bumper being configured to contact a ball, and a heel bumper disposed on the heel portion, the heel bumper being configured to contact the ball, wherein at least one of the toe bumper and the heel bumper has an asymmetric shape.

An article of footwear includes a sole structure and an upper that is attached to the sole structure. The upper defines a cavity that is configured to receive a foot of a wearer. The upper is at least partially defined by a textile. The textile includes a first area that is substantially smooth. The first area defines a reference boundary that conforms to the cavity. The textile includes a second area. The second area includes a plurality of projection structures that project away from the reference boundary and outwardly from the cavity at varying heights. The second area includes a plurality of recess structures that recess away from the reference boundary and inwardly toward the cavity. The plurality of projection structures and the plurality of recess structures are in an alternating arrangement across the textile.

A method of manufacturing an article may include loading a soluble bobbin thread into an embroidery machine and then driving a needle thread through a base sheet with a needle of the embroidery machine according to a programmed first pattern that provides a series of loops of the needle thread extending outward from a bobbin side of the base sheet. The method may further include bonding the needle thread to a needle side of the base sheet opposite from the bobbin side. A spacer layer may be disposed at the bobbin side of the base sheet, and may be removed after the needle thread is bonded to the base sheet. The loops may be loops of a hook-and-loop fastener or ball control features in various articles manufactured according to the method.

A surface structure for sports boots used for ball games having increased ball-contact properties where each boot has an upper part and a sole and the upper part has an outer surface used for shooting a ball, wherein at least a part of said ball shooting outer surface comprises a coating that has an adhesive substance covering said outer surface and a grained structure embedded in and kept by the adhesive. The grained structure comprises discrete granules of a resilient material, wherein between the adhesive and the outer surface of the upper part and between the adhesive and the granules a stable and durable bonding is provided, and the granules have outer surfaces that provide an improved contact with the ball when getting in contact with it.

An article of footwear is provided and includes an upper having a bottom surface and a first plate attached to the bottom surface of the upper in a forefoot region. The first plate includes a lateral peripheral cleat disposed adjacent to a first outward-most portion of the upper on a lateral side and a medial peripheral cleat disposed adjacent to a second outward-most portion of the upper on a medial side, the medial peripheral cleat being disposed closer to an anterior end of the first plate than the lateral peripheral cleat.