The Makeup of a Soccer Ball

Soccer Balls are made up of 4 main constituents. The cover, the bladder, the stitching and the lining. Making an informed decision by understanding the different choices of materials and construction techniques, will go a long way to seeing that you get the right ball for your needs.

Covers

These were traditionally made from leather, a hard wearing natural product that unfortunately took on water and became heavy and unwieldy. Modern ball covers are totally synthetic made to mimic the structure of leather without the water retention properties. The commonest materials used are polyurethane and polyvinyl chloride although modern microfiber material uses nylon fibre bundles with polyurethane resins . There are many synthetic leathers used for soccer balls these days. Some of which were designed for completely different applications. English Porvair was invented as a micro filter but ended up being used for some makes of ball. Teijin Cordley is made using a more environmentally friendly process and some top balls are made with this. Ducksung from Korea is also considered one of the best. Microfibres are continually being developed and have some of the best water resistance and strength qualities around.

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The Soccer Balls (Footballs) in 1950’s

The 1950’s saw the introduction of what is considered the modern soccer ball. Eigil Nielsen was the national goalkeeper of Denmark and played 28 matches for the country between 1940 and 1951. He founded the sports supply company Select in 1947 and manufactured soccer balls from the start. In 1951 Select became the first company to use an integral valve negating the need for external lacing. Thus creating a ball that was far superior in many ways. Keeping the air in the bladder was previously one of the biggest challenges. The fact that the heavy lacing was now gone meant the balls being more balanced had a truer flight. A major plus for the players was that with the hemp stitching gone it no longer hurt when heading the ball!

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The 1800’s Soccer Ball

In 1836 the manufacturing process of vulcanized rubber was patented by Charles Goodyear.

This had a profound effect on the evolution of the soccer ball. Rubber was not previously used for balls in the western world, as in its raw state it was too sticky and lost its shape easily. Prior to the rubber match ball made by Goodyear in 1855 all balls had an inflated pig bladder surrounded by leather. This meant that the size and shape was very irregular, making it difficult to control and very unstable. Goodyear’s design is similar to modern basketballs, having ovoid strips of rubber bonded together. One of Goodyear’s balls was used for a game in 1863 between the U.S.A’s first organised football team Oneida, and a team made up from other colleges. There is some dispute as to the nature of the game, whether it was a version of soccer or a precursor to American Football, they called it the Boston game, the ball used in this game is on display at the National Soccer Hall of fame Oneonta, NY.

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