Cleat testing with fLEX: precision insights for elite athletes
Every movement starts with the ground beneath your feet. From the first explosive step to the final decisive sprint, your connection with the pitch determines how you move, how you accelerate, and how you perform. With fLEX, SGL’s realistic pitch performance testing device, you can finally measure what your boots feel, and understand exactly how your cleats interact with the surface.
Turning feel into fact
fLEX bridges the gap between intuition and data. Traditionally, players and performance teams relied on experience and instinct to choose the right footwear. fLEX replaces that uncertainty with precision measurement, revealing how each boot design interacts with the pitch in real-world conditions.
Through cleat testing, fLEX quantifies grip, release, and stability, the three key elements that define performance and injury risk. Whether it’s a stud pattern optimised for acceleration or traction that supports quick directional change, fLEX translates these subtle sensations into measurable insights.
The science behind cleat testing
At the core of fLEX lies advanced sensor technology developed in collaboration with turfgrass researchers from the University of Tennessee. fLEX simulates the footstrike of a real player, capturing the forces and motions that occur when the cleats engage with the turf.
fLEX has the ability to test footwear on a wide range of surfaces, natural or synthetic, wet or dry, cool or warm season grass. It produces reliable comparative data for each cleat under the conditions measured, helping athletes and performance teams choose the boot that performs best for the pitch and situation at hand.
Precision for performance and prevention
The insights from fLEX help teams make better decisions that directly affect performance and player welfare.
- Optimise grip and control to match each athlete’s movement style and position.
- Find the balance between traction and release to improve speed and agility.
- Reduce the risk of injury by preventing excessive rotational forces on the joints.
With objective data, performance staff can align footwear strategy with individual physiology, giving athletes the confidence to train and compete at their peak.
From insight to action
For clubs and performance teams, fLEX becomes a powerful decision-making tool. By running cleat tests during training sessions or pre-season camps, teams can compare multiple boot models under identical pitch conditions. The data shows exactly which design delivers the ideal balance between grip and release for each player’s role and movement style.
Performance departments can use these insights to:
- Tailor footwear recommendations for every athlete or playing style.
- Anticipate how changing pitch conditions — moisture, hardness, or temperature — affect traction.
- Test different boots of any manufacturer to compare with different surfaces.
For athletes, fLEX testing provides confidence. They can enter every match knowing that their footwear doesn’t just feel right, it performs right.
Advancing performance through measurable understanding
fLEX reshapes how professional teams understand surface–athlete interaction. By combining science, technology, and performance insight, it offers a portable testing solution that turns feel into fact. fLEX gives athletes and performance teams the clarity to make data-informed choices that elevate performance. With fLEX, every footwear decision becomes a deliberate step towards peak form.
Game-realistic pitch performance testing by fLEX
fLEX is the most game-realistic solution for pitch performance testing, designed to give grounds teams precise and actionable insights into how their surfaces perform. By delivering reliable, repeatable data, fLEX helps assess pitch consistency, player safety, and overall quality under real playing conditions. Built to perform on any type of pitch, it empowers teams to monitor changes over time, make informed maintenance decisions, and ensure every pitch meets the highest standards of performance. fLEX turns complex testing into a trusted, data-driven foundation for elite pitch management.
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