The tests that a football passes to receive a FIFA quality mark

The seven tests
that a football
has to pass to receive
a FIFA quality mark

What should you look for when buying a football?

When you go into a sports shop, you will find rows and rows of footballs lining the walls. Choosing the right one almost seems like a game of chance and there is no way of testing a ball before you buy it.

However, if you want a high quality ball that retains its important properties, you need only look for the FIFA INSPECTED or FIFA APPROVED quality mark. It is as simple as that!

How  is a football manufactured?

Almost every football manufactured
today is made of synthetic leather because its thickness varies far less than real leather. Normally, a ball consists of several layers of material that are covered with a waterproof coating. The layers are printed and cut into panels of various shapes, usually pentagons or hexagons, though sometimes rectangles or other shapes, all of which are stitched together to form the ball.

Balls
are usually finished by hand by skilled stitchers, though some are manufactured by machine. It takes over four hours to produce a hand-stitched ball with its 1,400 to 2,000 stitches. The ball is sewn together inside out. Before the last piece is stitched, the ball is turned the correct way round, then the rubber valve is inserted and the last stitch is sewn using a special curved tool. This allows the stitchers to pull the threads from inside the ball and ensure a perfect smooth finish.