Deflectable cleat system for footwear

An item of footwear, having a cleat system, comprising:

• an upper configured to receiver a wearer's foot and a sole unit coupled to the upper for engaging the ground, the sole unit having a plurality of cleats protruding from a ground-facing surface of the sole unit, each cleat being in a cleat system, comprising:
• the cleat having a head portion and base portion, the cleat being coupled to a post having a first end fixedly or removably anchored to the cleat and a second end fixedly or removably anchored to a plate portion in the sole unit on a side of the sole unit that is opposite the ground-facing surface of the sole unit the cleat being laterally deflectable across a width of the sole unit that extends from a lateral side of the sole unit to a medial side of the sole portion by, the cleat being laterally deflectable by (i) pivoting of the second end of the post relative to the plate portion and (ii) by pivoting and/or deformation action by an engagement of the base of the cleat with the ground facing surface of the sole unit, the pivoting being facilitated by engagement of complementary convex or concave shapes respectively associated with the second end of the post and with the plate portion;
• and
• wherein one or more elastomeric elements are included in the cleat system that engage with the head portion of the cleat and/or the post of the cleat to control the degree of deformation or deflection in response to a lateral shear force and to restore the cleat to its neutral position once the shear force is removed.

A method of making a sole plate, comprising:

• providing a cleat having a head portion for engaging a ground surface and extending therefrom a post or base portion that has an end that engages a sole plate for a sole portion of a shoe;
• a concave or convex receptacle portion being in the sole plate, an end portion of the cleat having an associated complementary convex or concave shape that pivotably engages with the concave or convex receptacle portion in response to the shear force, the engagement of the concave or convex receptacle and the complementary convex or concave shape being on a side of the sole plate that is opposite a ground-facing side of the sole plate and wherein the pivotable engagement is at least a lateral deflection of the cleat, across a width of sole portion that extends from a lateral side of the sole portion to a medial side of the sole portion, in response to a lateral shear force;
• and
• providing one or more elastomeric elements in the cleat system that engage with the head portion of the cleat and/or the post of the cleat to control the degree of deformation or deflection in response to a lateral shear force and to restore the cleat to its neutral position once the shear force is removed.