Soccer Ball

However, now-a-days, just like the game itself the soccer ball is made following certain rules and regulations. Law 2 of the football Associations is the one according to whose specifications the soccer balls are produced these days. Although the temporary balls can be used, but prescribed balls are used these days in all the official matches around the world.

The soccer ball facts go as under. The first ever conditions for the manufacturing of the ball were specified by the Football Association in 1863. However, these terms were revised later in 1872. Now these rules are the ones which are followed through out the world and remained unchanged as per the rules of the International Football Association Board. The differences which came in to effect about the manufacturing of the ball are basically related to the material being used in their making. Another important thing to remember about the soccer balls is that the size of the ball differs according to the age group. For the kids the ball of smaller circumference and lighter weight is used.

The evolution in the ball has come in the phases of stitching and the interlocking of various panels. The purpose behind all these efforts is to create a ball which is perfectly spherical and would also retain its shape during the course of the game.

In the later half of the 20th century the soccer balls adopted a certain pattern. The balls tend to have a black and white design over them. This design became even more popular with the introduction of the Telstar by the Adidas, which used this soccer ball in the FIFA World Cup of 1970. It has a design of twenty white hexagons and twelve black pentagons. This has affected the design of all the soccer balls being made. Around 80 % of the balls employed by all the associations are made in Pakistan.

The soccer balls are available in different prices. The branded ones like Nike soccer ball or Adidas soccer balls are expensive because of the extra money spent on their production as well as marketing. However, soccer balls could also be bought on whole sale prices from whole sale shops or from the online merchandisers.

The soccer balls are made using four different components which are the covering, the stitching, lining and the bladder. The top layer or the surface of the soccer balls are made up of the synthetic material and not by the grain leather. Some of the indoor soccer balls are made of the same material that is used in the making of the tennis ball. The thickness of the material plays a very important role in maintaining the quality of the hand stitched soccer balls. Between the cover and the bladder of the ball there are many layers of lining. These layers are made up of the polyester and/ or cotton laminated together to provide the ball with the strength, structure and bounce. The balls used in the professional games have four extra layers of lining. The bladders in the soccer balls are used in order to hold the air. They are normally manufactured using latex or butyl. The butyl bladders retain air for longer period of time as compared to the latex one. There are many pictures of the soccer ball available over the internet, which give us a clear idea about their evolution over the years.