In the popular game of soccer or football, the most important piece of equipment is obviously the ball. 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 the Middle Ages, inflated animal bladders were the most frequently used balls, and gradually they started being covered in leather. Charles Goodyear patented vulcanized rubber in 1836 and became the father of the first official soccer ball in 1855. Then, in 1862, H. J. Lindon developed one of the first inflatable bladders for balls and he is also known to have invented the rugby ball, although he did never patent it.

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 ought to refer to Puma, Brine, Nike or Adidas that design soccer balls according to the rules and regulations established by the international football organisms and associations (FIFA).

A first official soccer ball worth mentioning was Telstar, 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 used in Germany, in 1974. Telstar appeared again but this time the gold branding was replaced by a black one. Then Adidas produced the official soccer ball in an all-black version called Adidas Chile, after an all-white ball previously tested in Chile in 1962. Both the techniques and materials used in Telstar and Chile were the same as those used in the making of the balls in 1970.

Among the other balls that got the official soccer ball status there are: Tango Durlast 1978 characterized by dynamism and elegance, 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.

About the Author:

Jack Sawbridge started kicking the soccer ball at the age of seven. At the age of twelve he became a member of a soccer team. His passion in this kind of sports lead him to write various information about soccer balls. If this article interests you, you may want to read another article written by Jack about the different soccer ball sizes