Clothing (base layers)

How Base layers have advanced in modern day football

Base layers are worn by most football players in the modern game to help them keep warm or cool depending on the environment they are playing in. Base layers are worn underneath the players kit and can also aid blood circulation and provide muscle compression in the right areas.

Before around 10-15 years ago there were not any specific base layers worn by players, they usually wore loose fitting t shirts or vests underneath their kit which got covered in  sweat and became uncomfortable. 

Base layers are created by many of the leading brands in football such as Nike with the "Nike Pro" base layers, Adidas with the "techfit"range and Under armour "Cold" and "Heat" gear and many of the worlds best players wear them such as Wayne Rooney who wears Nike Pro and Xavi and Frank Lampard who wear Adidas Techfit.

These Base layers are very light and tight to the body as they are made from materials such as brushed polyester Dri-FIT technical fabric. This material allows for a thin layer of air to be kept between the base layer and the body to keep the player warm.

Base layers also have other uses other than keeping a players warm or cool. For example the Nike pro combat hyperwarm range provides lightweight protection in the form of "Deflex floating form technology" to cushion impact.

The following video explains the technolgy of base layers and reviews the main brands.

(Please turn captions on at the bottom of the video for English subtitles.)