AVID Soccer considers the Innovative Product Award our most prestigious.  This year, we reviewed soccer gear from a variety of manufacturers.  For the most part, there were few truly innovative products.  A few things stood out.

We have see improvement across the board, but it has been mostly incremental.  As such, we selected two elements that are part of product lines.  From adidas, ForMotion is a combination of fabrics and design.  Nike DriFit is a class of fabrics used across several product lines.  Only the Bausch & Lomb Nike MAXSIGHT is the only true product.

Here is how they stacked up:

• Nike DriFit is a remarkable fabric.  It feels a bit rough on the inside intentionally.  The small hemispherical interior surface provides a gap between the skin and fabric.  This gap allows for airflow and moisture control in a single weave.
• The ForMotion design is a combination of fabrics used to create specific airflow through the garment.  ForMotion uses mesh, wicking material and non-porous weaves to create specific airflow around the body.  It works extremely well when moving, but is not as effective when stationary.

"...and the winner is..."

• Delayed.  Our rules for the awards state that a product must be tested by AVID Soccer during the year.  We were unable to acquire a test set of the MAXSIGHT contacts.  Our research shows that these tinted contacts are the most innovative product this year.  With any luck, we will be able to test these early next year.