Pham Dinh Vien

The international market of soccer gear is dominated by several major brands such as Adidas, Nike, Puma or Brine. When it comes to choosing a soccer ball that belongs to one of these producers, you’ll surely be at a loss about which to choose. The collections are so extensive, the products have such excellent quality standards that maybe the first impression can make a difference. Thus, one gets to buy a Brine soccer ball just because she/he likes the way it looks. Plus, you can get your next Puma, Nike or Brine soccer ball at very decent and affordable prices if you have a look online and search for special offers and discounts.

Here are just a few examples of the best Brine soccer ball models that have so far served for major competitions and official championships. Triumph 20-600 is the official ball of The NCAA Soccer Championship of 2007 and 2008. The features of this product are amazing, with a great polyurethane cover and a symmetric design, such a Brine soccer ball brings good touch, control and trajectory. Plus, the roundness and the perfect spin are generated by the latex bladder, although the hand-sewn cover and thread stitches significantly contribute to the great feel of the soccer ball during the game.

Several other Brine soccer ball models enjoy official approval for soccer championships. This is the case of Triumph 20-500. The difference from the 600 version results from the air retention mechanism and the bounce features. Otherwise, the technology used in the manufacturing is the same and so are the features. The same polyurethane covering as in Triumph 20-600 makes Triumph 20-500 Brine soccer ball resistant to abrasion and optimal for match play. We could continue the list of examples, but they are all relevant for each other and for the company’s line of production.

A Brine soccer ball does not come cheap; occasionally there are all sorts of discounts available but you have to search well in order to get a bargain. Unless you are a professional player or an amateur with high aspirations, getting a brand name product is sometimes a poor investment. Yes, quality speaks for itself, but it is difficult to appreciate the features of a Brine soccer ball if you hardly have any soccer skill. This means that a beautiful ball will be not misused but rather poorly used, which is a pity and a waste. Think about it before shopping for something in the big league!

Popularity: 90% [?]

What is the best soccer ball? Which is the best soccer ball? Hard to say. It depends on what you want the soccer ball for. Anyway, when you want to buy a soccer ball for personal use, to have fun with family and friends and you certainly want what’s best, there are a few things to consider before deciding on which one to buy.

First of all you need to think of the correct size you will need to use. For eight-year-olds and under, the best soccer ball is a size 3. For players between 8 and 12 years of age, a size 4 would be suitable whereas from 13 on, the official international-size soccer ball size 5, is advisable. Then, think of the kind of ball you want from the softness perspective; buy a softer ball for younger players, especially for practicing heading. A good ball would be a PVC plastic ball, meant typically for young players/users. Advanced players will prefer a harder soccer ball for striking it. To make sure it is as soft/hard as you want, you can test it by pressing into it with your thumb. You can also ask the opinion of a knowledgeable person such as a coach or an experienced soccer player. If you really want the best soccer ball, you should look for the words FIFA Approved or FIFA Inspected.

There are other tips and warnings you should consider when trying to buy the best soccer ball. You should always go to a specialized store whose personnel is knowledgeable. You should visit stores that have a wide offer of sports equipment, soccer ball brands implicitly, with several offers for each brand. To get the best soccer ball possible, you must, among other things, check out the inner materials because the key to the feel of the soccer ball is the bladder or inner part that holds the air. Higher quality balls have latex bladders which also mean higher prices.

Another element worth considering is the way the ball is actually built: most high-quality balls are stitched – actually the best ones are stitched by hand. There are also laminated balls which are glued together. Though cheaper, laminated balls are harder. If possible, have the balls tested by a player on the ground. Also, consider the weather conditions, since when it is cold, the ball tends to become harder. One final piece of advice would be for you to also buy a small hand pump because you need to keep your ball inflated.

Popularity: 13% [?]

Soccer is one of the most popular sports in the world. It has been practiced in different forms since ancient times and with different types of balls ranging from human and animal skulls or heads, animal skins or wrapped up cloth to inflated animal bladders, leather and polyurethane. It is obvious that the popularity of soccer does not stay only with adults, men or professional players but also with children, women, and ordinary people in general. For this reason soccer balls have undergone a lot of changes, improvements and adjusting throughout history, in order to meet the requirements and wishes of the different categories of users. There are even soccer balls typically made for and used by women in female soccer championships. We have even witnessed the invention of the giant soccer ball as well.

You would ask ‘What need is there for a giant soccer ball?’ Well, there may be no need for such a thing but for the fun and entertainment of both grown-ups and children. A giant soccer ball can also be made for display as a mascot of a club or it can be sold in an auction for charitable purposes. Such a ball is unique, over-sized, stands up to rugged use and is easy to care for. This kind of ball is usually made with the utmost attention to quality and detail. Of course, if you are interested, you can make a special request for a custom-made ball. Manufacturers have offers for all kinds of giant sports balls not only immense soccer balls. Thus, if you are interested in giant balls, for no matter what purpose, you can search the net and find details of the offers that certain manufacturers have available.

In the case of the giant soccer ball meant for children’s use you should know that there are various offers about which you will find all the necessary details either in stores or on the Internet. Such balls are inflatable. When their covers get dirty, all you have to do is deflate them, remove the bladder and wash it. Usually such a giant soccer ball can be inflated by means of any air source – a leaf blower, vacuum cleaners with reversed flows, or gas station air pumps. These balls come in vivid colors and patterns. They are also sold with plugs, plug removers, warranties, and instructions for using them. These balls can also be used with beginners and differently-abled kids with no fear of getting harmed in any way.

Popularity: 14% [?]

Soccer is maybe the most popular sport in the world. The history of soccer goes along, evidently, with the soccer ball history. When talking about soccer ball history you should distinguish between some stages or ages in which changes in the soccer ball occurred. Thus we can talk about early ball history, the balls in the 1800s, balls in the 1900s, and the modern times.

Early soccer ball history goes back to the times before Christ. It is known that people have liked kicking either a ball or something similar to one, since the beginnings of times. Indians in South America are known to have used a light elasticized ball, which is amazing since rubber started being produced only a few thousand years later. The early soccer balls consisted of different items from human and animal skulls to pig or cow bladders and stitched up cloth. Between 255 BC and 220 AD, the Chinese played ‘tsu chu’ using animal-skin balls dribbled through gaps in a net stretched between two poles. Ancient Romans and Greeks played a game which involved carrying and kicking a ball, whereas in certain ancient Egyptian rites are said to have had similarities with soccer.

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 used to kick a skull along a path to a nearby village square. The other village would in turn try to kick the skull to the first village’s square. In medieval times they used the bladders from animals killed for winter sustenance. They used to inflate them and then try to keep the ‘ball’ in the air by using their hands or feet. In time people noticed that covering the bladder with leather would maintain the shape better and longer.

The soccer ball history of the 1800s was marked by the 1836 patenting of vulcanized rubber by Charles Goodyear. 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 already enjoyed the use of stronger rubber balls that could withstand heavier and heavier pressure.

Popularity: 12% [?]

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.

It was only with Charles Goodyear who, in 1836 patented vulcanized rubber and in 1855 designed and created the first vulcanized rubber balls, that we can say we are getting closer to the shape of the official soccer ball of the modern times. 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.
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. Another aspect regarding the official soccer balls used in time is that of the manufacturing companies that have been entrusted to produce these items. Thus we will have in mind firms like Adidas, Nike, Brine or Puma that design soccer balls according to the rules and regulations established by the international football organisms and associations (FIFA).

One official soccer ball was the Telstar (Star of Television) 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 the first ball that had 32 black and white panels and it was more easily noticeable on black and white televisions. 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 they introduced a new all-black version of the official soccer ball which was named Adidas Chile, after an all-white ball that had been used 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 with lots of elegance, passion and dynamism, Tango Espana, 1982 made real 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.

Popularity: 13% [?]

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 rather from synthetic materials that keep the balls lightweight even when it’s damp outside. 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.

Depending on the design of the soccer balls, the various segments of the exterior cover, also known as the panels, present specific features. There can be 32, 26 or 16 panels with the mention that 32-panel variant is normally used in the majority of official games. 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.

Between the external covering and the internal bladder that holds the air, soccer balls have some special material incorporated, which is called the lining. 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.

As for the bladders that actually keep the soccer balls inflated, differences do appear here as well, particularly because of the nature of the materials. Soccer balls can be made either from latex or butyl. While the surface tension brought by latex or natural rubber is unparalleled, the tiny pores in the structure of this material cause the soccer balls to deflate.

This means that you’ll have to re-inflate the ball at least once a week to maintain pressure and keep the ball practical. Butyl soccer balls on the other hand have an excellent air retention capacity and rely on valves for this process.

Popularity: 13% [?]

Since categories classify soccer balls into outdoor and indoor soccer ball varieties, then structure differences and feature variations set such items apart. The coverage is the one that actually changes with indoor soccer balls: this outer layer is in fact a felt type material very similar to the one used in the making of tennis balls. Other than this, the other features specific to any indoor soccer ball remain unchanged.

The need for the felt coverage specific to indoor soccer ball models comes from the specificity of the ground or location where this sport is performed. While on a grass field the bouncing properties and the adherence are perfectly matched for an optimal game, the same background specificity has to be considered when it comes to playing indoors. There is no grass, and most of the time the floor of indoor play yards is polished. This means that the indoor soccer ball has to adhere well and be easy to use with the feet and legs.

Most companies specialized in the production of soccer gear provide indoor soccer ball types of various sizes, with butyl or latex bladders, with 32, 26 or 16 panels and extensive warranty. If you only need an indoor soccer ball to practice on your own or have fun with friends, it is not a must to purchase a brand name or a very specialized item. An indoor soccer ball even from a no-name company will work just fine and help you enjoy a nice and healthy activity.

There are three different sizes available for general soccer ball models as well: thus you can choose from size three, size four and size five, with the mention that each corresponds to a group age category. Thus, children up to eight should use a size three ball, while size four is suitable the age group between 8 and 12. Anyone older than 13 qualifies for size five. However, exceptions in size choice apply to indoor soccer ball use.

The fact that indoor soccer is played on smaller fields with smaller goals, size four is generally chosen for most professional indoor leagues. Nevertheless, depending on the league, other requirements may have to be met in terms of ball features as well. The factors that will therefore influence the choice of the ball are not only size, but the capacity of use and control strategy too. Hence, unless for amateurish practice, choice criteria are really important!

Popularity: 11% [?]

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 move, pass the balls, dribble and try to score. According to experts the soccer ball pattern results from very good analytical thinking and quality training. When a player masters the technique and uses personal experience or knowledge on the field, the entire team benefits from his/her skill. Moreover, the soccer ball pattern is not something performed individually, since it involves lots of ability and unity in the soccer formation.

The cooperation between the team members is developed during trainings, 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 full mastery of the soccer ball pattern comes in time and involves a constant evolution. Thus, competing teams often study the opponents’ strategies to understand where the strength or the weakness comes from, where the attack is at its highest or where it lacks in intensity. The entire team contributes to the creation 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 for hobby playing it is not even important to have great skills. Most of the time players stick to a certain way of moving 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 we are not talking about professional achievements, things are definitely not very pressing. Therefore, the soccer ball pattern is not an objective in itself when playing for sheer personal pleasure.

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. Any coach will do his/her best to make all the players contribute to the creation of a good soccer ball pattern that can win goals or points and bring the success of the team. Yet, sometimes, changes in the soccer ball pattern are necessary particularly when the results are not the expected ones.

Popularity: 13% [?]

The choice of the world cup soccer ball is the result of careful analysis, lots of monitoring, plenty of testing and approval procedures. The fact that companies have their soccer balls tested for guaranteed quality shows value for money and respect for customers. 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 receiving the FIFA Approved or FIFA Inspected 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. Every manufacturing company that requires the FIFA Inspected status needs to submit seven balls, or if they need the FIFA Approved logo, then ten samples will be necessary. The testings are conducted at the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Testing and Research located in St. Gallen, Switzerland. Only a FIFA Approved item will eventually become the world cup soccer ball design. 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 used at the 2008 Olympic Games was manufactured by Adidas, the official sports partner for the Beijing Games. The most famous ball of the last four years, this Olympic world cup soccer ball had gold Chinese characters reading China. The competition for the choice of the next world cup soccer ball models continues and producers make incredible efforts to improve design and improve ball features continuously. New high tech materials are used in the production, and superior properties are available. Thus, the flight accuracy, the waterproofness, the force of the kicking transfers and many others should make any future world cup soccer ball special.

Popularity: 13% [?]

Match soccer balls are a special variant of balls designed to be used by professional players belonging to various soccer clubs worldwide. 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. Such products are manufactured according to the highest quality standards applicable to international levels; they follow very precise specifications for an incredible control, speed and accuracy. Moreover, match soccer balls are created to be used on all sorts of turf surfaces whether artificial or natural, as well as in all climates.

At the completion of the manufacturing process, match soccer balls have to go 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. The structure of the ball includes at least five different layers, made of the finest materials available in the industry. Not all manufacturers can create match soccer balls since the processes are often very costly, and the finite product is equally expensive. The materials, the design, the manufacturing and testing parameters therefore have to be the highest. Exceptional performance is what describes match soccer balls best!

Besides the high 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 balance, the shape and the trajectory of the ball. The official size, weight and shape are therefore the main guidelines to stick to. Although highly expensive, match soccer balls are less costly than the internationally approved items.

Anyone can use match soccer balls to have fun with: these items are not a prerogative of 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 lines of match soccer balls developed and adapted to suit the players needs.

Popularity: 13% [?]