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Phil McCartney at the Nike Magista Launch, 2014<\/p>\n Phil McCartney at the Nike Magista Launch, 2014<\/p>\n
When Nike launched its extraordinary new Magista football boot in Barcelona earlier this month, the event was trailed with the kind of emphatic slogans the brand is known for. \u201cFootball will never be the same again\u201d was the claim made for this particular release, which was made in the presence of Nike\u2019s CEO Mark Parker, as well as the player many consider to be the most gifted in the contemporary game, the Spain and Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta.<\/p>\n
What\u2019s certain is that the football boot itself will never be the same again after the Magista, which is rather more than the hi-top boot it first appears to be. It is constructed with the Flyknit technology \u2013 essentially a hi-tech version of weaving \u2013\u00a0that the brand launched in a line of running shoes last year. Flyknit offers the ability for the boot to get closer to the foot of the player, explained Nike global VP of sport performance Phil McCartney, who added that players explained how wearing it created feelings of \u201chappiness, joy and pride\u201d.<\/p>\n
Magista looks like another big leap forward, or another kick in the right direction from a brand which is constantly innovating. It remains to be seen whether the boot will help teams win in the World Cup this summer – in the meantime, we had the chance to quiz McCartney a bit more deeply on this fascinating technological development:<\/p>\n
Sleek: Technology in sportswear is moving ever closer to the human body \u2013 how close can it get?
<\/b>Phil McCartney: Flyknit is a technology that allows us to think about single layers, and new sensations\u2013 it\u2019s got that sock-like feel. You change the interaction between the product and the lower leg, and to me that is the ultimate goal.\u00a0 Intensity is increasing in every sport, and there\u2019s no room for distractions. The idea of the boot less as a piece of equipment and more a extension of the body is big idea. The player reactions to it have been very emotional\u2026<\/p>\n
In the presentation you talk about visceral reactions to the shoe.
<\/b>We talked a lot of about heightened sensations. On the thing you hear from players a lot is, when we ask what they think about when they\u2019re playing, they say \u201cnothing\u201d. There isn\u2019t a conscious thought process, and it\u2019s a lot more instinctive. In 2010 when we started to hear that consistently from players, that was a big insight. How can we create against that insight, for heightened sensations? That\u2019s where we started to think about flyknit technology. This will be the start of the next revolution in football and sport generally<\/p>\n
Flyknit is based on an ancient craft \u2013\u00a0weaving \u2013\u00a0updated with new technology. Could you see more such innovations?
<\/b>The level of excitement from our players tells me that we\u2019re onto something \u2013\u00a0that idea of getting close to the body, thinking about single layers, and about how something truly would become supernatural. Technology is the enabler.<\/p>\n
Often we talk about technology at its best as being an invisible interface \u2013 something so effective you don\u2019t notice it. Does that apply to the Magista?
<\/b>If a player talks about the boot after a game, then we\u2019ve failed. What we really want is for the boot to disappear to allow the player to focus on his game. There are so many distractions in football, ball, we wanted to peel all that back and let players play their game to their optimal ability. That\u2019s important in the modern game because of the speed \u2013 they\u2019re almost operating on fast-forward. What we were hearing from the payers was, eliminate the distractions to slow that game down so I can play at a more optimal pace with high speed control.<\/p>\n
Can you plan for a paradigm shift?
<\/b>That was our goal. The reason we gave ourselves a four-year window was to plan for the things we knew we would have to get over. I\u2019m not sure you can plan the impact a paradigm shift has, but you can plan for how you want that shift to occur.<\/p>\n