world cup soccer ball

Posted by admin | Posted in Soccer | Posted on 14-11-2009-05-2008

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The world cup soccer ball is chosen out of the most prestigious collections launched by famous brand names, but only after serious quality tests are run. Testing the soccer balls for quality proves respect for the customer’s trust and money. The world cup soccer ball will be manufactured in thousands of copies and sold on the international market and all the items in such lines will meet the criteria necessary for FIFA approval and inspection logos. Even indoor soccer matches rely on pre-tested and pre-approved gear, following the same quality and inspection standards.

Before the world cup soccer ball is chosen, a certain procedure standard has to be carried out. Seven balls are submitted to FIFA to receive the Inspected status, or in case the application is for the FIFA Approved logo, then, ten samples are necessary. The tests are conducted at the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research located in St. Gallen, Switzerland. The world cup soccer ball can only be chosen from the FIFA approved products, as the FIFA Inspected ones don’t have the same high standard quality. Besides such approvals, there is a less demanding one known as the International Matchball Standard, which can be granted by any of the seven European test institutes that work with FIFA.

A total of seven tests is necessary with the mention that the most peculiar examination that comes for the final approval is the one that makes the difference and decides for the ball that has the potential to become the world cup soccer ball. The seventh test checks the shooting features such as size and shape retention as well as the pressure change during the shoot. The only acceptable pressure loss level for the FIFA approved variant is 20% while for the FIFA Inspected standard there could be a 25% pressure loss as such.

The world cup soccer ball of last year’s Olympic Games was manufactured by the official partner of the Beijing Games, Adidas. The most famous ball of the last four years, this Olympic world cup soccer ball read China in Chinese characters. Producers continue to compete for the next world cup soccer ball models, making efforts to come up with new designs and better features that would qualify them for the world cup title. New modern materials are used in the production, and superior features are constantly developed. Thus, the force in the kicking transfer, the flight accuracy, the waterproofness and many others will change the perspective on the future world cup soccer ball.

soccer balls size

Posted by admin | Posted in Soccer | Posted on 12-11-2009-05-2008

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Soccer balls are generally available in three different sizes that stay valid for both indoor and outdoor practice. The main element that influences the soccer balls size is the age group for which it is designed as well as the size of the field on which the game is played. The general classification includes size three for small children of up to eight years of age, for the 8 to 12 group, represents the standard for players with the age over 13. There are however some exceptions to this rule. Although a standard soccer balls size is established for official matches, any individual non-professional player can make a purchased based on personal criteria.

Depending on the league and the nature of the field, the soccer balls size could be one of the more special requirements. For example, indoor matches are normally played with size four because of the smaller goals and field. However, for outdoor matches, soccer balls size five represents the standard. Moreover, the training or practice aspect should not be overlooked either. Professional players use a certain type of soccer balls size, but variations are often encouraged for the sake of developing an ever greater skill.

The person who chooses the soccer balls size is the coach, and this usually happens for professional leagues, teams as well as for school level. Yet, the items used in official games go through effective check ups and get tested to correspond to all the quality standards necessary for high performance. For personal purchases, the shopper ought to know what soccer balls size implies in order to make a good choice, particularly when placing product orders online. Besides the ball description available in virtual shops, make sure to check this size feature as well. If it is not specified, look for another model so that you don’t get to doubt the quality.

Needless to say that the soccer balls size is not something too much insisted on particularly since many people assume that the general feature is standard. This is also the explanation why so many inexperienced players get to buy smaller balls than they actually need which will prove a little awkward in practice. Always buy something that is both comfortable for you to play with and adequate for the background conditions. If you go shopping in a large sports store, you may also have the chance of testing the product features on the spot, thus being more easily convinced.

soccer balls

Posted by admin | Posted in Soccer | Posted on 11-11-2009-05-2008

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The key element for one of the most popular sports in the world, soccer balls come in different designs, sizes and weights. Plus, the materials used for the construction of the soccer balls are also very diverse, directly influencing the features of the finite products as well as the price. Here are a few technical details on the structure and the making of soccer balls that many of us know nothing of when having fun in a nice game.

The surface of soccer balls consists of several coverings that are not made of natural leather as it may appear at first sight but they are manufactured from lightweight plastic that keeps the balls dry. Synthetic leather is the most commonly used, being made of poly vinyl chloride or PVC and polyurethane. Even the varieties of artificial leather that soccer balls are manufactured of are too many in number to know and differentiate.

The specific features in the exterior cover of soccer balls consist of several segments known as panels. A soccer ball can be made of 16, 26 or 32 panels, with the latest being the official variant for most leagues and championships. Yet, the others are popular in all sorts of major leagues as well, mainly in Scotland and England. After being sewn together and inflated, the panels create the nearly perfect sphere that we call soccer ball.

A special material called the lining is used between the internal bladder that holds the air and the outer covering. These intermediary layer can be made of polyester or laminated cotton, thus contributing to the strength and the bounce properties of the finite product. For professional soccer balls, up to four or five linings are used, while promotional items and practice balls contain fewer such structures.

Differences of material do exist in the structure of the bladders as well. Soccer balls can be manufactured either from butyl or latex. While natural rubber or latex creates a great surface tension, the tiny pores allow deflation over a certain period of time.

In order to keep the ball practical, you’ll have to re-inflate it at least once a week. Butyl soccer balls present no air retention problem, but require valves to keep the air inside.

soccer ball size

Posted by admin | Posted in Soccer | Posted on 10-11-2009-05-2008

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There are five soccer ball size variants, but the standard refers to the ball with 27-28 inches in circumference, 12 psi in pressure and 16 ounces weight. However, when referring to the soccer ball size, people bring the 1 to 5 sizes into discussion. Practice and promotional balls are included in categories 1 and two, while from size 3 upwards, the soccer ball size follows the age group criteria. On the average, the standard soccer ball size is 5. Anything below this range is used for smaller fields, in children’s gear or as novelty items. It may be helpful to know something about the soccer ball size when going shopping.

The smallest balls used in soccer are 3. The small design matches the needs of children up to eight years of age. The circumference of these balls is not larger than 24 inches and they weigh only 12 ounces. Slightly bigger, soccer ball size 4 has 13 ounces in weight and 26 inches in circumference. The group age it targets is between 8 and 12. However, mention must be made here that size 4 is often chosen for indoor soccer matches because of the peculiarity of the field and the size of the goals. Moreover, depending on the league, requirements vary as well.

The soccer ball size peculiarities represent a distinct part in the official laws of the game and competent international associations approve them. All the manufacturers have to stick to the regulations, although some companies prefer manufacturing only the official standard soccer ball size which is 5. All the items designed for official matches undergo rigorous testing and get the approvals after careful examination and profile analysis only. The balls will afterwards receive the approval imprint logo. The average soccer ball needs to be a little familiar with the ball sizes in order to make a smart purchase.

It is a lot easier to find a suitable item when shopping in a sports store. You may not know the soccer ball size when you order such an item online. For amateurs the inch or metric indications that describe size may not be relevant without the real thing in front of them. Therefore, knowing the specifics of every soccer ball size and category to which it belongs will be of great help. Last but not least, remember that some leagues have special requirements, and you need to comply with those when choosing your gear. Better learn which is the soccer ball size they work with and shop afterwards.

soccer ball pattern

Posted by admin | Posted in Soccer | Posted on 09-11-2009-05-2008

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Most teams have a soccer ball pattern that any real fan will spot within a glimpse of an eye. However, it is difficult for an unexperienced watcher to identify similarities in game actions and the way the players try to score, move, dribble or pass the balls. In experts’ opinion the soccer ball pattern is the result of quality training and analytical thinking. When a player masters the technique and uses personal all the knowledge he/she has on the field, the benefits extend to the entire team. Moreover, the soccer ball pattern cannot be performed individually, since it involves lots of ability and unity in the soccer formation.

The way the team colleagues work together develops by training in time, and the coach has the great responsibility of making trainees learn the soccer ball pattern and respond to it properly according to the individual position assignment. The real mastery of the soccer ball pattern results from years of practice and a constant evolution. Thus, the strategy of the opposing teams is always under scrutiny, since all the weaknesses and merits can be further used in the personal soccer ball pattern. The entire team contributes to the making of the soccer ball pattern as it is not the merit of one individual alone.

Amateurish players face difficulties in developing a real soccer ball pattern, but great skills don’t come with amateurish playing. Most of the time players have a constant movement or action on the field and do little in the direction of changing something in their play. This can sometimes be a problem for the success on the field, but since professional achievements are not an issue here, things should remain relaxed. Therefore, the soccer ball pattern is not an objective in itself when playing just for fun.

All in all, the soccer ball pattern remains a major attribute of team playing particularly in professional leagues and championships. Although not easy to identify and characterize by an untrained eye, it is an inherent part of the training standards specific to every team. Every player needs to contribute to the creation of the soccer ball pattern and thus get closer to winning goals for his/her team. Yet, if the pattern is to blame for the lack of success attributed to various matches, it will most often be replaced or changed.

soccer ball history

Posted by admin | Posted in Soccer | Posted on 08-11-2009-05-2008

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Some would say soccer is the most popular game in the world; we are not sure about that, but it is definitely one of the oldest. The history of soccer goes along, evidently, with the soccer ball history. When referring to the soccer ball history you should distinguish between some stages or ages in which changes in the soccer ball occurred. Thus there are the early ball history, the balls in the 1800s, balls in the 1900s, and modern models.

Early soccer ball history goes back to the times before Christ. Kicking a round object for fun was surely a pastime to many cultures. South American Indians were among the first to use a form of elastic ball that pre-dated the use of rubber, discovered a thousand years later. The early soccer balls were made of very peculiar materials from human and animal skulls to cow or pig bladders and stitched up cloth. The Chinese used to play a game that involved dribbling a ball through gaps in a net spread between two poles, and this happened as early as 255BC. Ancient Romans and Greeks also had a game which involved carrying and kicking a ball, whereas in certain ancient Egyptian rites soccer similarities have been discovered.

Pre-medieval and medieval stories and legends that can be considered as part of the soccer ball history, also mention the use of animal bladders or skulls to play games similar to modern soccer. An instance of the use of an animal bladder ball is presented in the legend about the game between two villages. An entire village ran and kicked a ball with the purpose of getting it into the other village’s square. The other villagers will make similar attempts. Inflated animal bladders seem to dominate this part of the soccer ball history. Once inflated they would try to keep the ball in the air by by means of both feet and hands. In time people improvements to the shape and strength of the ball were brought by covering it with leather.

The soccer ball history of the 1800s bears the influence of the introduction of vulcanized rubber, Charles Goodyear’s invention. In 1855 the same Charles Goodyear designed and then built the first vulcanized rubber soccer balls. In 1862 H.J. Lindon developed one of the first inflatable bladders for soccer balls. He is also credited to have invented the rugby ball; however he did not patent the idea for it as, in those days, the round ball was preferred for being more easily used. By the 1900s the soccer ball history had entered on a different path, bringing these entertainment objects a lot closer to what they are today.

pictures of soccer balls

Posted by admin | Posted in Soccer | Posted on 07-11-2009-05-2008

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The very essence of the soccer game consist in using the soccer ball on a field according to the game rules, which makes soccer appealing and easy to play by people of all ages and genders. In time, there have been huge changes that this central element, the soccer ball, has undergone. Books and soccer history records still have all sorts of pictures of soccer balls that are relevant for the evolution stages of this apparently simple item. Such soccer ball pictures are also available on the Internet for download, or they can be uploaded by those who know how.

Soccer history records are more difficult to use than the Internet. Besides, the thousands of pictures of soccer balls online have the advantage of impeccable digital quality as compared to the paper printed ones. Another aspect in favor of the Internet is the speed of accessing the pictures. With a few clicks of the mouse you’ll get true slide shows including pictures of soccer balls and more.

Manufacturers websites are designed in a way to attract visitors through both the pictures of soccer balls they display and the details of the products attached to the pictures. Therefore, by using the Internet you will actually get a full picture of each product, in general and of the soccer balls in particular. According to the regulations, soccer balls have an average 70 cm circumference with a 110kPa maximum pressure and a 450 grams weight. All these details usually appear together with the pictures of soccer balls you will find on the net, whether they are meant for children use, professional players use or any other purposes. Thus, if for the purchase of a giant soccer ball, for instance, you will surely get these details together with the price for each product presented in each picture.

Rare or famous pictures of soccer balls deserve special attention on collectors’ part. Such items that are seldom available, sometimes become the object of auctions for fund raising.

official soccer ball

Posted by admin | Posted in Soccer | Posted on 06-11-2009-05-2008

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In the popular game of soccer or football, the most important piece of equipment is obviously the ball. Before the modern invention 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. Charles Goodyear patented vulcanized rubber in 1836 and became the father of the first official soccer ball in 1855. Then, inflatable bladders started being produced in 1862, after H.J. Lindon invented them.

When talking of the official soccer ball, you have to think of the soccer ball from the temporal perspective. 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 ought to refer to Puma, Brine, Nike or Adidas that design soccer balls following the regulations and laws established by the international football organisms and associations (FIFA).

One official soccer ball was the Telstar (Star of Television) used in Mexico in 1970. Although they had started producing soccer balls just some seven years before, Adidas was accredited to design the official soccer ball for the FIFA World Cup of 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 used in Germany, in 1974. Telstar appeared again with a new black ball to replace the previously gold branding. Then Adidas introduced a new all-black version of the official soccer ball called 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.

To count some more of the balls that have won the official soccer ball status there are: Tango Durlast 1978 with lots of elegance, passion and dynamism, Tango Espana, 1982 designed in natural leather, Azteca, Mexico 1986, the first polyurethane rain resistant coated ball, Etrvsco Unico, Italy, or in 1990 the first ball with an internal layer of black polyurethane foam, etc.

mini soccer balls

Posted by admin | Posted in Soccer | Posted on 05-11-2009-05-2008

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Mini soccer balls belong the size three category according to the soccer balls classification, and they work great for childrens games or for juggling. Some people love collecting mini soccer balls, while others buy them to get autographs from the players they admire. Less expensive than regular balls, the mini versions make a great gift for boys and girls who spend lots of time outside playing; they are cheap and they can be purchased from any regular sports store or, in case you prefer online shopping, you just need to place the order.

Mini soccer balls also work great for promotional purposes; visitors and customers at open air business events and shows are offered such items either as thank you gifts or to promote the image of the company. Company details, full messages, logos and symbols are usually printed on such mini soccer balls, which turns the items into reminders of one business or another. Promotional mini soccer balls are very often custom-made and purchased in bulk quantities by corporations. Moreover, when one large brand is releasing a new soccer gear line it is often common practice to give mini soccer balls as presents.

The materials used for the manufacturing of mini soccer balls is not top notch most of the time. Some producers use the left-overs from their other ball sizes and include them in the coverings or the lining layers of the mini versions. The idea is not to create a lower quality product, but to use all resources well and save as much money as possible. Plus, the fact that less expensive materials are used in the making of mini soccer balls is explained by the finality of such products: they are used for practice, maybe training and childrens games.

Hence, there is not much to expect from mini soccer balls in terms of performance, and the usage remains truly limited. Unlike professional and match balls, these mini variants have no special features or extended warranties. However, there are some quality standards that have to be met for such items too: for instance, the bounce, the inflation, the balance and the speed have to be at least satisfactory. Depending on the bladder material, butyl or natural rubber, air loss often occurs and then you have to periodically inflate the balls. You can test the air tension inside by simply pressing the ball with the hand.

match soccer balls

Posted by admin | Posted in Soccer | Posted on 04-11-2009-05-2008

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Designed for professional players in particular, match soccer balls are used worldwide at different clubs. The features of match soccer balls are meant to take the best out of the players’ natural skills and abilities on the field, ensuring a pure quality performance. The highest quality standards in the world also differentiate match soccer balls from other non-professional items; strict control, high speed and great accuracy represent the main design guidelines. Moreover, match soccer balls should work well on all sorts of turf surfaces whether artificial or natural, as well as in all climates.

At the completion of production, match soccer balls have to undergo through testing before getting the approval of the international forums that pass certifications. FIFA for instance approves match soccer balls and imprints the approval logo on the ball surface. Match soccer balls are designed to include at least five distinct layers of materials under the covering. Given the high production costs, the manufacturing of match soccer balls is not possible for any soccer gear manufacturer. The The production and testing parameters, the design and the materials therefore have to be of top quality. Match soccer balls should be exceptional in terms of performance!

Besides the incredible quality of the materials, there are some other features that need to get approval when it comes to the design of match soccer balls. First of all the materials have to be adequate for the design; then, they need to have a certain water absorption rate, insure a good bounce and contribute to the velocity of the item. Other strictly controlled parameters are the trajectory, the shape and the balance of the ball. The official size, weight and shape thus represent the main guidelines to stick to. As for costs, in a comparison with internationally approved balls, match soccer balls are definitely cheaper, even if they are not very affordable either.

Match soccer balls can be used individually by whoever wishes to buy them: these items can work great for amateurs as well as for professional players, as they can suit all group ages, surfaces and background specificity. What differentiates them from the rest of the practice balls is the reliability of the design combined with a perfect performance range. Even for an amateur, the difference between a simple practice soccer ball and a match soccer ball will be obvious. As for the main manufacturers, nearly all the large soccer gear producers have developed production lines for professional items including match balls in manufacturing.