The PUMA Super Team trainer is an OG trainer from the early 1980s that was originally worn by the German National Handball team.
Following the death of Rudolph Dassler in 1974 and Adi Dassler shortly after in 1978, the competition between adidas & PUMA still remained just as strong moving into the 1980. The bitter brotherly feud had sparked a "one-up" approach to footwear production. Family ties may have been cut in the process but from a performance product point of view the dispute actually gave us some of the greatest trainers of all time. Whether it was on the tracks, the football pitches or the speedy courts of the Handball-Bundesliga, it didn't really matter. The goal was to get as many athletes wearing the trainers as possible and PUMA did a pretty good job as far as handball in particularly was concerned. Following in the footsteps of the Vlado Stenzel trainer from the 1970s, the PUMA Super Team trainer marked the next chapter of handball silhouettes for the German sportswear brand.
Above: The PUMA Super Team OG trainer in all time red/white now available from 80s Casual Classics.
PUMA's endorsement deal with the Croatian born handball goalkeeper & coach, Vlado Stenzel, had already stamped the German sportswear brands' grippy gum soled shoes all over the speedy handball courts of Europe. Unlike football, handball required a slightly different approach as far as the trainers were concerned. Handball is generally played indoors on the classic 'sports centre' style hard floors. A performance shoe made solely for handball was all about traction and speed. PUMA gave us the Vlado Stenzel in 1978 which was closely followed by the Handball SPEZIAL in 1979 from adidas. PUMA also released the 'Handball' trainer around the same. Originally made in Yugoslavia the Handball trainer from PUMA probably had something to do why adidas had to add SPEZIAL to theirs. 
Above: The PUMA Super Team OG trainer in all time red/white now available from 80s Casual Classics. Debuting in 1982, the Super Team trainer was originally worn by the German National Handball team for the World Cup which was hosted in West Germany. The Super Team's European exclusively also caught the attention of the UK's Casual subculture with the classic gum soled court shoe becoming just as popular on the speedy handball courts as it was on the streets. As oppose to the traditional full suede styles of previous PUMA court shoes, the Super Team featured mesh uppers with suede overlays for added breathability. Now introduced in the original red colourway, the Super Team is treated to a very special revival release for 2023. Highlights include Super Team branding in gold foiling to the sidewalls with the signature formstripe as well as the contrasting stitching on the sole just like the original trainer from 1982. Shop the very latest PUMA release now at 80s Casual Classics via the links above.
