What is ACC by Nike?

Let’s start by looking at when this technology first emerged, which takes us back to 2012, when Nike introduced the ACC label on all its high-end football boots. Nike incorporated a treatment into the production of its boots designed to repel water whilst maintaining control and touch with the ball, despite the increasingly damp conditions found on football pitches.

Following a study they carried out, they realised that, in the major football leagues, many – indeed, a great many – matches were played in adverse weather conditions. They were therefore looking for a technology that would aid ball control in these more challenging situations. And that is how All Conditions Control came about – a treatment applied to the upper of Nike’s high-end football boots, which is still used in current models and continues to spark debate.

Is ACC real?

The debate has arisen because, although the technology isn’t physically visible, it remains a feature even with the introduction of the Nike Flyknit with All Conditions Control (ACC), ranging from the Nike Tiempo with ACC and the Nike Magista with ACC right through to the current Nike Mercurial Elite football boots, which, as you can see, also feature ACC. And this is the debate that has arisen, as, apart from the logo we see on the boots, we have no way of verifying where this technology is located or how it is applied, which is why some people are sceptical about ACC.

The truth is that, if we try on a pair of ACC boots straight out of the box, we can see that the boot does, to a certain extent, repel water and therefore doesn’t become weighed down or get in the way when striking the ball. What’s more, with no water in the way, all your shots and touches will be better, as the ball won’t slip off the surface of the boot.

However – and this is purely our personal opinion – just as with water-repellent sprays or other similar technologies used on footwear to make it waterproof, over time the boots gradually lose that ACC effect. What happens is that, over a long period of time and very gradually, we notice that this water-repellent effect is progressively diminishing. That said, we’re perhaps talking about a year’s use of the boots before we really notice this loss – a timeframe we consider normal for the use of a pair of football boots.

In conclusion, we believe in ACC even though we can’t see it, and, to be honest, if we compare it with another boot that doesn’t have it, we will definitely notice that slight difference provided by Nike’s much-discussed technology. We encourage you to try the boots for yourselves and see how ACC works.