XBlades

Company type	Private company
Industry	Textile, footwear
Founded	1989; 35 years ago (1989)
Founder	David Miers
Headquarters	Melbourne , Australia
Area served	Australia United Kingdom United States
Key people	Leighton Richards (CEO)
Products	Teamwear, protective gear, football boots, clothing
Website	xblades.com.au

XBlades is an Australian sports equipment manufacturing company engaged in the design, development and selling of products primarily related to footwear and clothing. The company was established in 1989 to make shoes for athletes who played rugby union and Australian rules football.^[1]

The company is the original creator of the bladed sole football boot, designed to minimize injury for athletes.^[2]

History

XBlades was established by David Miers, a biomechanist who was listed with AFL club Collingwood in the 1980s. He suffered many knee injuries throughout his career, which he attributed to his studded boots, leading him to create a rubber-soled shoe with X-shaped 'blades' as an alternative.^[3]

In 2016, XBlades was acquired by former Callaway Golf director Leighton Richards and former AFL player Jimmy Bartel.^[4]