How to Stretch Football Boots

Co-authored by Victor Adrian

Last Updated: March 17, 2024 Fact Checked

If your new football boots are feeling a bit tight, there are lots of ways you can help stretch them out quickly. Try a method like dampening your boots with water or heating them with a hairdryer before walking around in them to stretch them out. To stretch out football boots without having to wear them, consider using a shoe stretcher or stuffing them with newspaper. If your shoes are feeling way too tight at the tip and your toes are all scrunched up, this is a sign that you need a different pair.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Wearing Your Boots to Stretch Them

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1
Wear your boots around the house to break them in naturally. Put on your pair of sport socks and slip into your football boots. Wear them around the house as you do chores, cook food, or hang out with family. Wear them for at least 30 minutes, taking them off if they start to hurt your feet.
- Wearing thicker socks, or multiple pairs of socks, will help stretch the boots out faster.
- If your boots are rubbing your feet in certain spots, cover these spots with band-aids to prevent blisters.
2
Dampen your boots and socks with water to stretch them as they dry. Either fill a spray bottle with water to mist your socks and boots, or pour the water directly onto each item. Make sure your boots, and especially your socks, are nice and damp. Put your socks and boots on and wear them around for 30 minutes to an hour as they all dry, molding to your feet.^{[1]
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- Use regular lukewarm or cool tap water.
- Move your feet around as your shoes are drying, doing football warm ups or simply wiggling your toes around.
- Put Vaseline on areas that you think might develop blisters to help prevent them before breaking in your boots.
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3
Use a hairdryer if you want to stretch your boots using heat. Put on a pair of thick socks with your football boots on over them. Turn a hairdryer on a high heat setting and heat up the boots for 5 minutes each. Avoid holding the hairdryer’s nozzle in one place for too long, and instead move the hairdryer around the surface of the shoe slowly, using the heat to stretch out the boot.
- After you’ve heated each boot up with the hairdryer, keep wearing the shoes for 10-20 more minutes so they continue to stretch.
4
Submerge your boots in hot water for 10 minutes to reshape them. Put your football socks and boots on your feet. Place your feet in a bucket or basin large enough to fit both of them at the same time. Pour hot water into the basin, submerging the sides and toes but not overtop the laces (or where the laces would be if your shoes don’t have any). Wear the boots in the hot water for 10 minutes, and then continue wearing them for another 30 minutes as they start to dry out.^{[2]
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- Avoid using boiling or super hot water, as this can damage the glue in your shoes (as well as burn your feet!)
- The hot water helps make the shoe flexible, and wearing the boots as they dry will help mold the shoes to your feet.
- If your shoes are made out of leather, apply a leather conditioner to them once they’re out of the water so they don’t crack.
5
Loosen your shoe laces to retie your boots comfortably, if applicable. If your boots have shoe laces, it may just be the laces that are making them feel tight. Loosen the laces all the way down to the tip of the shoe and put the shoe on your foot. Adjust the tongue of the shoe so it's comfortable, and retighten the laces around your foot.^{[3]
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- Do the same thing with the other shoe for a better fit.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Stretching Football Boots without Wearing Them

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1
Use a shoe stretcher to stretch all sides of the boots. There are lots of different types of shoe stretchers you can purchase that will stretch out everything from the toes of your shoes to the sides. Insert a shoe stretcher into your shoe and adjust the stretcher until it’s stretching out the areas that feel tight on your feet. Leave your boot in the shoe stretcher for 24 hours.
- For example, if you wanted to make your shoe wider, you would use a two-way stretcher.
- Look for shoe stretchers at your local big box store, shoe store, or online.
2
Place a plastic bag full of water in your boots to stretch them in the freezer. Set a plastic bag in each of your boots so that it reaches all the way to the toes. Fill each plastic bag with water so the shoe is full and close off the bag by knotting it or zipping it closed. Place the shoes in the freezer to let the water expand as it gets colder, stretching out each boot.
- Leave your boots in the freezer overnight so the water completely freezes.
- Make sure the plastic bags don’t have any holes in them before placing them in your shoes.
- If you're having trouble getting the frozen plastic bag out of your shoes, let the ice melt for a few minutes to help loosen the bag.
If your boots are feeling tight on the top of your foot, place a tennis ball as deep as possible into each shoe. Leave them like this overnight, letting the tennis balls stretch out the upper section of the boots.^{[4]
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4
Stuff your football boots with newspaper to customize your stretch. Gather pieces of newspaper or magazine and scrunch them up into your shoes, stuffing them all the way down into the toes. Put more newspaper in areas that you want stretched. Once the boots are full of newspaper, let them sit overnight to fully stretch.^{[5]
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- Pack the newspaper tightly to ensure you’re stretching out the shoes.
5
Bend the boots using your hands to stretch them during free time. If you’re watching television or even sitting on the sidelines of a game, take a boot in your hand and begin stretching it back and forth. Manipulating the material with your hands will help break it in slowly.^{[6]
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- Continue stretching the boots with your hands for at least 5 minutes each.

Join the Discussion...

How do you stretch shoes without damaging them?

16

WikiLynxWatcher304

My wife bought me these shoes when she was on vacation and she really likes the way they look on me. The problem is that they’re like ha... Read More

Moe Draper
Shoe Care & Repair Specialist

To stretch out leather shoes that are too tight, purchase your own wooden shoe stretcher and hand-crank them to the appropriate tension to stretc... Read More

WikiMongooseDriver598

When I get new shoes I stretch them out and break them in with 1) THICK socks and 2) heat. I have these thick wool socks that I wear to both stre... Read More

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Things You'll Need

Wearing Your Boots to Stretch Them

Thick socks
Spray bottle (optional)
Hairdryer (optional)
Bucket or basin (optional)

Stretching Football Boots without Wearing Them

Shoe stretcher (optional)
Plastic bag (optional)
Tennis ball (optional)
Newspaper (optional)

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Warnings

If your toes are scrunched up at the tip of your boots, this means you need to get a bigger size. Wearing shoes that are too small lengthwise isn't healthy for your feet.

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