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Official Soccer Ball

August 26, 2009

Although normally called soccer, another less popular name for the sport is football, a concept that renders the full specificity of the game. Before the modern design of the official soccer ball, you should know that in the beginnings of the sport the ‘ball’ used was either a human head, a human or animal skull, an animal bladder, stitched up cloth, or an animal-skin ball. In medieval times, stories tell about animal bladders mostly, which, progressively started being covered with leather to maintain the shape better and for a longer time. It was only with Charles Goodyear who, in 1836 patented vulcanized rubber and in 1855 designed and created the first vulcanized rubber balls, that we can say we are getting closer to the shape of the official soccer ball of the modern times. Then, inflatable bladders started being produced in 1862, after H.J. Lindon invented them.

There are significant features to consider if we are to consider the official soccer ball chronologically. There have been more than just one official soccer ball models used, at least in the 20th century and up to the present. Only a few manufacturing companies have been granted the distinction of producing such items. Thus we will have in mind firms like Adidas, Nike, Brine or Puma that design soccer balls according to the rules and regulations established by the international football organisms and associations (FIFA).

One official soccer ball was the Telstar (Star of Television) used in Mexico in 1970. Adidas started to produce soccer balls in 1963; they created the first official FIFA World Cup ball in 1970. It was for the first time that the black and white 32 panel pattern was used to allow for a better visibility on black and white TV sets. Two Adidas soccer balls were afterwards launched in Germany, in 1974. Telstar was reissued with a new black ball to replace the previously gold branding. Then Adidas produced the official soccer ball in an all-black version which was named Adidas Chile, after an all-white design that had been used in Chile in 1962. The materials and techniques from these first models were afterwards preserved in the 1970 releases.

Among the other balls that got the official soccer ball status there are: Tango Durlast 1978 characterized by dynamism and elegance, Tango Espana, 1982 made real leather, Azteca, Mexico 1986, a premiere of polyurethane rain resistant coated ball, Etrvsco Unico, Italy, or in 1990 the first ball based on an internal polyurethane foam layer.

Co-authored by: Junior Golf Bags.

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