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Did you realize that sports throughout the world were mostly designed specifically for

men? As you may be aware, men's and women's shoe sizes differ, though there aren't many

innovators whose main target audience are women. Laura Youngson Coll was born in Co.

Durham in 1978 and is a remarkable entrepreneur who has made a name for herself as the CEO

and co-founder of IDA Sports, which is a company that designs soccer cleats specifically for

women. Laura Youngson Coll is someone that athletes and the general public should know more

about because she innovated soccer cleats better-suited to women’s feet, she faced challenges in

her journey, and she has several characteristics that are admirable.

To begin, Coll is someone whose innovation in athletic footwear addressed women as a

target audience. Men’s feet are larger than women's feet and have a higher arch, while women

have wider feet and a narrow heel (Wunderlich 1). Laura realized that soccer cleats for men were

uncomfortable for women which is causing them discomfort and foot problems. She noticed that

there was a stark gender disparity in sports participation, and she was determined to do

something about it ( All About Sports 1). This noticing is important, because it allows more

women to enjoy the sports they love in a comfortable manner. Youngson's journey began when

she was studying at the University of Edinburgh. She teamed up with her friend, Rhona Lloyd,

and together they founded IDA Sports, a company that provides high-quality sports equipment

and clothing designed specifically for women ( 1). This company is an important innovation

because it recognises the needs women have in sports, since in the past women have not been

recognised the same as men in sports.

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Laura Youngson worked hard to make the right cleat, going through 800 girls, coaches

and physical therapists to make it as comfortable as possible so there wouldn't be any problems

while playing. While doing so she wanted to make sure people would take her seriously since

she understood that girls were underserved as an afterthought. As people overlooked the needs

for women in soccer and the importance of women gear, in addition to her work with IDA

Sports, Youngson is also involved in several other organizations that promote gender equality

and women's rights (Root 1). This is important because they are bringing awareness to the

importance of gear designed equally for females and why they need their own personal shoes.

Laura Youngson was passionate about her which was able to make sports more accessible

to women and girls, and she has worked tirelessly to make this a reality. Her efforts have been

recognized by many, and she has received numerous awards and accolades for her work. Laura

used to play when she was younger and found it enjoyable but didn’t have the best or

comfortable shoes to play for her (Gruskoff 1). So she wanted to find people who had the same

idea and passion she had. She collaborated with a women’s league to start fitting and measuring

shoes for them,but she felt like her ideas didn’t matter with the idea of making cleats just for

women. Still, she pushed and continued her work because she got to hear from other players

about the pain and discomfort with their own cleat. This evidence shows that she is caring and driven

to serve others who, like her, love sports and deserve equipment that meets their needs.

Finally, Coll should be celebrated because of her courage. She was pregnant at the time

and, as we know, when a women is pregnant in the sports industry they are more overlooked and

is expected to quit and retire once given birth. She wanted to make sure that her work
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environment and coworkers didn't believe the stereotype and opened a new idea and perspective

that welcomed pregnant atheletes.

In conclusion, Laura Youngson is a role model who has had a big influence on both the

athletics world and other fields. She is a role model for young women all around the world due to

her unwavering commitment to advocating for women's rights and gender equality. Just as we

wouldn’t think of most clothing and shoes as one-size-fits-all, we can learn that men’s and

women’s feet cannot continue to be male-centered. Women in sports deserve fantastic

equipment best build to serve them.

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Works Cited

About Ida Sports. (n.d.). Retrieved from

https://www.idasports.com.au/pages/our-story

Gruskoff, J. (2022b). Get to Know Laura Youngson, Founder of IDA Sports. Girls

Soccer Network. Retrieved from

https://girlssoccernetwork.com/laura-Youngson-founder-of-ida-sports/

Laura Youngson: Climbing Towards an Equal Playing Field. (n.d.). Retrieved

from

https://athleticbrewing.com/blogs/podcast/laura-Youngson-climbing-towar

ds-an-equal-playing-field

RE, Wunderlich an PR Cavanagh. “Gender Differences in Adult Foot Shape:

Implications for Shoe Design.” Medicine and Science in Sports and

Exercise, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11283437/. Accessed 24 May 2023.

“Official Release: Ida Sports’ Laura Youngson Announces Pregnancy and sets

precedent for female founders balancing entrepreneurship and

motherhood.” Idasports.Com, 18 Aug. 2022,

www.idasports.com/en-be/blogs/press/official-release-ida-sports-laura-you

ngson-announces-pregnancy-and-sets-precedent-for-female-founders-bala

ncing-entrepreneurship-and-motherhood.

Root, Trudie . “Equal Playing Field.” , Directed by Amirose Eisenbach and

Tamara Rosenfeld | Documentary Review, 2 Sept. 2021,

videolibrarian.com/reviews/documentary/equal-playing-field/.