Get to Know Laura Youngson, Founder of IDA Sports

As a female founder in the soccer world, it’s a thrill to connect with other female founders who share my passion for the beautiful game and the impact it can have on society off the pitch–specifically for girls and women. There is no one that embodies this more than Laura Youngson, co-founder of IDA Sports and the maker of the first-ever boot (aka cleat) made for a woman’s foot.

Laura Youngson popped up on my radar in 2017 when there was news about a bunch of women climbing Mount Kilimanjaro to set a record for playing a soccer game at the highest altitude. It sounded insane, and I had to find out who and what these women were about. Many were former players, referees, or coaches that had been in the game for a long time and wanted to conquer the mountain of inequality that they had seen as female players. Laura was none of those things. A self-described “amateur” player, her mission was to raise media coverage and awareness of women’s sport. The trek was successful in more ways than one. Their efforts still stand as a Guinness World Record and out of that experience two valuable things were born; Laura’s non-profit, Equal Playing Fields was born, and the realization that women and girls are often super uncomfortable in their cleats and suffer from far more injuries than men as a result.

I sat down with Laura over Zoom and had a great time talking to her about her adventures and evolution as an entrepreneur. Enjoy the short Q&A below.

Soccer On,

Jen Gruskoff

What do you love about football? I love the community aspect. It’s a microcosm for society and I’ve found that even in male-dominated soccer countries (everywhere but the US) there’s a way to pull people together through the sport. For example, a man who would never watch a women’s soccer game may now because he’s a Manchester United fan, and they now have a women’s club. It’s the best part of a sport where you can unite behind something you love and be entertained.

Aha moment for launching IDA Sports? I could only ever find boots that fit me if I bought boys…and it started to bug me because clearly, I didn’t exist in the minds of these brands. Then, on the trek and spending time with the women allowed me to hear about the injustices of that game and one of those cruel realities was that most had suffered pain and injury as a result of not having properly fitting boots. From blisters to ACL injuries…there’s a lot that can be prevented with properly fitted shoes.

Tell us about the boot design and logo? The logo IDA Sports logo came from the highest/lowest. We call it the “Wave of Change” and it’s about bringing everybody with us. It’s going to take a lot of people to get us where we want to go so let’s move as a community. Together, we’re a wave; an unstoppable force.

What does the future hold for IDA? Based on our feedback, we feel very positive about how we’re impacting our community and are continuing to reach more and more female athletes. We get loads of comments about how comfy the boots are and have now expanded into the indoor space with our futsal shoe.

What does it do for a girl when she knows something’s been made with her in mind? First, I think it’s a relief. One less barrier to taking the field and playing. And the other is a very positive reaction, “I exist! Now I can perform. Now I can win.”  I’m just very excited that a girl can now go into a Dick’s Sporting Goods and have an area that has been intentionally created with her in mind. My hope is that one day, they will take all this for granted and think: “There was a time boots weren’t made for girls?! That’s crazy!!”

Indeed, it is.

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