The two national parents' councils, representing parents of schoolchildren at primary and second level, have vented their anger at leading sports manufacturer Adidas over the Tunit boots, which go on sale in Ireland next month.

"Where is it all going to stop? This is absolutely ridiculous, " said Jim Jackman, chairperson of the National Parents' Council (post-primary). "Apart from the huge financial burden parents are already under, big companies also know that 'pester power' always wins.

"One parent I know, whose child is on the fringes of international football, pays no more than 50 for a pair of boots for their son. As young people's feet grow so fast, the thoughts of paying up to 400 for football boots every three or four months is no joke."

Fionnuala Kilfeather, chief executive of the National Parents' Council (primary) said, "We need more parent power rather than pester power and parents only have themselves to blame if they buy these boots. Parents' association meetings are a good opportunity for them to exercise their consumer power and agree not to buy them."

The Tunit boots will allow footballers to build their own boot to suit playing conditions and their own preference in colour, and will be available from size five upwards.

They consist of three main components . . . the upper (the main body), the chassis (the base of the boot) and the studs . . . with different types of each component which can be interchanged and tweaked.

The standard pack, which will cost 185, offers three stud options with no extra boot parts, while the premium pack, which will retail at 400, offers three different uppers and two chassis alongside the extra studs.

Adidas spokesman Markus Baumann said: "The F50+ Tunit will change the future of football boots. All major retailers have placed orders.

We looked at doing a waiting list over here, but a similar one in the UK had to be pulled as they could not cope with the demand for pre-orders."

Irish stars Damien Duff and John O'Shea, as well as Arjen Robben, Jermain Defoe, Djibril Cisse, Alessandro Del Piero and David Trezeguet, are all endorsing the new boots, which are also expected to enter the GAA market.

"We expect the boots to be very popular here in Ireland among GAA players, " said Baumann. There will be a number of GAA players wearing the boots this summer in the championship, but they are not confirmed yet."

A spokesman for Champion Sports said the retail chain was expecting the boots to be a big seller. "There are two colours of the boots being launched and by the time of the World Cup, there will be even more types available, " he said.

A Lifestyle Sports spokeswoman said: "These boots are unique and quite different so I expect they will sell exceptionally well. We will have them in black, royal blue and white, which is exclusive to Lifestyle."