Ida Sports, a sports footwear company based in Melbourne, Australia, specializing in women’s-specific soccer footwear, won The Sports and Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) 2022 Start-Up Challenge last month. The winner was selected after a several-month selection process, culminating in a live session on July 26 with nine finalist companies answering questions from more than 100 judges. Led by co-founders Laura Youngson and Ben Sandhu, Ida’s mission is to make the best shoes in the world for female athletes. Currently the brand offers cleats, indoor court shoes and slides.

As part of the SFIA Start-Up Challenge, Ida Sports shared their vision and progress towards building a new league of footwear for female athletes via a video pitch that highlighted the market potential as well as recent successes including the release of the Ida Classica and Ida Spirit women’s soccer cleats in Dick’s Sporting Goods. The next generation of Ida’s soccer cleats, the Rise and Centra, will be available in the U.S. next month.

Prior to launching their first women’s outdoor firm ground boot in 2018, Ida Sports worked with nearly 1,000 female athletes, podiatrists, and physiotherapists to ensure their experiences and needs were at the heart of their design process. They believe that unisex is not enough when it comes to footwear, and the industry of “shrink it and pink it” is dismissive to the unique needs of female athletes worldwide. 

As the winner of the SFIA 2022 Start-Up Challenge, Ida Sports will receive a prize package including free registration to SFIA’s largest C-level industry conference, the Industry Leaders Summit (ILS) in October, a panel speaking opportunity at ILS, and public recognition at the dinner reception. Additionally, Ida will be highlighted in one of SFIA’s annual research reports, and receive a judge seat for the 2023 SFIA Start-Up Challenge.