Updated: 02/14/2018 15:58:48
The popularity of football is difficult to overestimate - according to many people, this game is the most popular look sports all over the world. From small backyard competitions to world and European championships, football competitions are watched by millions of people around the world. But football is not only about impeccable playing technique, it is also about properly selected equipment. Socks, shorts, boots and especially the ball - everything affects the enjoyment of the game. Based on the results of an analysis of reviews from experienced football players, this article was written, which will certainly help you choose right ball for playing football.
The best soccer ball manufacturers - which company to choose
There are currently a great many companies involved in the production of soccer balls and related equipment. On sale are both inexpensive domestically produced models and products from world-famous brands, certified by FIFA and produced for prestigious international competitions. If we talk about specific manufacturers, the following manufacturers are on the lips of football fans:
The above brands are first category manufacturers; it is their products that belong to the so-called “first echelon” and are used in competitions international level. However, in addition to expensive models, you can also find budget products on sale, which will certainly be affordable for almost every football fan.
Soccer ball device
The soccer ball is well known to each of us. It is a complex structure consisting of at least three main layers:
An outer tire made of thirty-two panels of pentagonal and hexagonal shapes, sewn together with strong threads. These elements are made of genuine leather, which ensures high performance properties, wear resistance and the ability to withstand powerful blows football players without injury;
The lining is a shock-absorbing layer that prevents damage to the camera and absorbs shock during the game. The performance characteristics of the ball entirely depend on how correct the laying is;
The chamber is a special rubber element inflated with air, thanks to which the ball keeps its shape and has the necessary properties;
The classic, well-known soccer ball design was developed by Select half a century ago, but nowadays you can find soccer balls in absolutely any color and shade on sale.
Types of soccer balls
The highest quality, proven and, accordingly, expensive models, certified by FIFA and other international associations. Typically purchased by professional gaming companies high level, as well as prestigious football championships. As a rule, even models from different manufacturers have similar characteristics, structure and even color - all this is a consequence of careful adherence to international standards.
Advantages
Highest quality workmanship;
Availability of all necessary documents confirming the quality of products;
Same performance characteristics for all models;
Classic appearance;
Flaws
- High price;
Match
Compared to the models described above, match soccer balls have much more affordable characteristics and, accordingly, price. They are intended for playing football on any type of surface, and their performance properties ensure maximum durability and wear resistance, regardless of the intensity of the game.
Advantages
A huge variety of colors and shades;
Full compliance with generally accepted standards;
Flaws
-
Not quite suitable for yard games;
Training balls
As a rule, this class of balls includes inexpensive models, characterized by the use of budget materials - instead of leather, polyvinyl chloride is used, and instead of a strong thread holding the elements together, heat treatment of the seams is used. This design could not but affect the price: training balls are much cheaper than their analogues:
Advantages
Universal, suitable for playing on all types of surfaces and coatings;
Decent workmanship;
The cost is very affordable;
Flaws
Low mechanical strength;
The quality is lower than that of professional and match models;
Futsal balls and indoor models
Compact models characterized by low springing and inertial characteristics. Such balls practically do not bounce, and therefore are suitable for playing on almost any surface. They differ in their manufacturing design - the outer tire in some situations may have a fleecy coating, as well as in size - these balls are significantly smaller than their counterparts and are suitable for playing mini-football;
Advantages
High quality manufacturing;
Low spring characteristics;
Compact dimensions;
Flaws
- Used exclusively for indoor play and mini-football;
Their design initially implies use on a sandy or grassy surface, and therefore very specific requirements are imposed on their design. Firstly, such a ball should be soft and allow you to play comfortably on the sand. Secondly, it should not be heavy so that you can play as comfortably as possible even with bare feet. Another feature of such balls is their very affordable cost.
Advantages
High quality workmanship;Softness
Softness;
Light weight;
Reasonable price;
Flaws
Low strength;
Insufficient resistance to mechanical stress;
In order to truly choose the right one soccer ball, you should pay attention to the following features:
Ball size
All soccer balls are divided into three categories:
The third size is compact balls, up to 65 centimeters in circumference and up to 330-335 grams of weight;
Fourth size – weight up to 360 grams, circumference up to 70 centimeters;
Size 5 is the largest soccer ball. Reach 75 centimeters in circumference and weigh 400 grams;
Assembly method
As noted above, all soccer balls are a “constructor”, assembled together from many particles. The method of connecting them can be one of three:
Machine stitching. Nylon threads are used, and the places where the seam will go are pre-marked. The disadvantage of this design is its insufficient strength;
Hand stitching. The seam is made manually using a special needle, and therefore is characterized by maximum strength and reliability. Among the disadvantages, it should be noted that the cost is quite high due to the use of manual labor;
Gluing. The simplest and lowest quality way to assemble a ball. As a rule, it is used exclusively in inexpensive ball models;
Ball chamber
An internal part designed to retain air and ensure proper ball performance. Almost always made of latex or butyl. The first option is better in operational terms, but very often it “bleeds” the air and, accordingly, needs pumping. The second, on the contrary, holds pressure perfectly, but is characterized by excessive rigidity and density, which negatively affects general characteristics ball.
Outer layer material
For quite a long time, balls were made from genuine leather, but now this material has faded into the background and is the preserve of the exclusive, most expensive models. The lion's share of balls on sale are made of polyurethane or polyvinyl chloride-PVC. Polyurethane is similar in its parameters to natural leather and has characteristics similar to it, and therefore is used in the most expensive ball models. PVC is the lot of cheap models in the budget price range.
Lining
An intermediate layer that provides the necessary rigidity and elasticity during play, as well as maintaining the shape of the ball. The most popular is a special foam material that has no memory and perfectly retains its own shape even during intense play.
If you are a professional football player, use the appropriate equipment and play in specialized turf stadiums, it is best to choose professional or match balls;
Playing on the beach sand on a summer day requires the use of compact beach models;
If the main type of game is futsal or mini-football, a compact ball should be preferred. closed areas;
Ordinary street football or amateur matches are not so demanding on the quality of the ball. For this reason, the training ball will become the best option;
If you choose a ball for children, you need to consider age group and relate it to the size of the ball. For the youngest football players, who are 7-8 years old, a number 3 ball is suitable. On the contrary, it is best for 14-15 year old teenagers to buy a number five ball;
How much does a soccer ball cost?
Inexpensive training class soccer balls cost about 1000-1500 rubles;
Polyurethane training balls have a higher price, about 2-4 thousand rubles;
High-quality match models from famous manufacturers are even more expensive. The cost of such models starts at 4-4.5 thousand and ends at 7-8 thousand rubles;
The most expensive are professional balls. Their price can reach 15-20 thousand for a high-quality branded item.
All you need for the lesson “how to draw a ball with a pencil step by step” is a compass for drawing a circle. If you don’t have a compass at hand, a round object will do, which you can circle to make an even circle. Of course, you still need a pencil.
How to draw a ball with a pencil step by step
Drawing a soccer ball step by step is actually quite easy. Draw an even circle with a pencil.
A soccer ball is made up of pentagons and hexagons. Draw a pentagon in the center of the already created circle. See the picture below.
The following picture shows how to draw a soccer ball next. From the end point of the line, draw two lines each different sides. Try to keep them the same length too.
The same must be done for the remaining lines coming from the pentagon.
There is very little left in drawing this lesson. We close the lines - we get hexagons. Study the following drawing carefully. You should end up with one pentagon with hexagons around it.
In the project “The Evolution of the Soccer Ball,” photographer Jens Heilmann collected photographs of balls used in the World Cup since 1930.
1. The 1930 World Cup ball, which took place in Uruguay, contains the history of the origins of the World Cup. In the final, the host team of the championship met with the Argentina team. An unthinkable thing: then there was no qualifying matches, teams were invited to the championship. But out of 16 teams, only 13 came to the championship. (© Jens Heilmann)
2. World Cup in Italy 1934. Benito Mussolini was in power during the World Cup in Italy, where the main “hero” was this ball. (© Jens Heilmann)
3. France 1938. The shadow of Nazism lay over the third World Cup. Not 16, but only 15 teams then competed for the title of champion. (© Jens Heilmann)
4. Brazil 1950 After a 12-year break, the World Cup returned to Brazil. The Uruguay team won it. (© Jens Heilmann)
5. Switzerland 1954 This ball hit the goal of the Hungarian team three times in the championship final, making the German team world champions. (© Jens Heilmann)
6. Sweden 1958 In the 50s, with the advent of FIFA, the selection of balls became more stringent. Then Brazil received its first world title, and 17-year-old Pele made his debut at the championships. (© Jens Heilmann)
7. Chile 1962 That World Cup famous match Chile - Italy went down in history under the name "Battle of Santiago". The first foul occurred in the 16th second, and in the 7th minute the Italians had already lost one player. It would later be calculated that in the first 20 minutes the ball was only in play for four of them! (© Jens Heilmann)
8. England 1966 The red leather ball brought victory to the host team of the championship, the England team. The captain of the team received the cup from the hands of Queen Elizabeth II. (© Jens Heilmann)
9. Mexico 1970 A black and white soccer ball as we are used to seeing it. From this championship, the Adidas company begins to supply balls for the tournament. (© Jens Heilmann)
10. Germany 1974. At the World Championships in their home country, the German team received its second title. Then the captain was Kaiser Franz Beckenbauer. (© Jens Heilmann)
11. Argentina 1978. With the advent of Tango, the design of soccer balls has changed slightly. (© Jens Heilmann)
12. Spain 1982. And again "Tango". (© Jens Heilmann)
13. Mexico 1986. The Azteca ball was made of synthetic materials. It was this ball that flew into the goal from the “Hand of God” of the great Diego. (© Jens Heilmann)
14. Italy 1990. At this championship there was not only an official ball (Etrusco Unico), but also an official anthem - Un Estate Italiana. (© Jens Heilmann)
15. USA 1994. The “Cuestra” championship ball was simply lightning fast. (© Jens Heilmann)
16. France 1998. With the Tricolor ball, a little color was added to the championship. (© Jens Heilmann)
17. /Japan 2002. With the advent of the Fevernova ball, the design of the soccer ball changed, moving away from the traditional black and white version. (© Jens Heilmann)
18. Germany 2006. In 2006, the Italian team won the World Cup, scoring winning goal against the French national team. Teamgeist ball. (© Jens Heilmann)
19. South Africa 2010. Players, coaches and, most importantly, goalkeepers complained about Jabulani. This is the roundest ball in the history of football championships. (© Jens Heilmann)
Each FIFA World Cup had its own ball design. AiF.ru invites readers to remember how the shape and size of the projectile changed at the 20th World Cup.
The evolution of World Cup soccer balls, starting from Tiento1930 to Brazuka 2014
The first leather soccer balls were white. But due to the fact that such a ball was poorly visible to fans, since 1951 they began to use balls with wide colored stripes, as well as orange balls. The official size and weight of a soccer ball, established back in 1872, did not change until 1937. The size was 27-28 inches and the weight was 13-15 ounces. Since 1937, the weight of the ball has increased to 14-16 ounces, but the size has remained the same until today.
Until the middle of the 20th century, balls were made of leather and “stitched” with leather laces. However, when it rained, such balls became very heavy, so in the early 60s, natural leather was replaced with synthetic materials. The balls have become stronger and lighter.
Tiento, T- Model(Uruguay, 1930)
At the FIFA World Cup in Uruguay, due to disagreements between the teams participating in the match, the organizers had to allow the teams to use two different balls. In the first half, the teams played with a ball called "Tiento", provided by the Argentine side, and after the break the Uruguayans introduced their "T-Model" ball, which was larger and heavier. The ball consisted of 12 parts.
Federale 102 (Italy, 1934)
The official ball of the 1934 World Cup in Italy, the Federale 102, was made by a Roman company called ECAS. The ball was made up of 13 polygons that were tightly stitched together by hand. A special feature of this ball was the presence of a separate panel with cotton lacing, which replaced the leather one. The previous version of lacing caused football players a lot of inconvenience and often caused injuries.
Allen(France, 1938)
France, host of the 1938 World Cup, produced its own ball. It was called "Allen", after the name of the manufacturing company, and in its design it was similar to the "Federale 102", but the edges of the ball panels were rounded, the lacing on a separate panel was white. The ball was made by hand.
Duplo T (Brazil, 1950)
The World Cup ball in Brazil “Duplo T” was radically different from its predecessors in that the lacing disappeared from the leather surface forever. The ball could be inflated using a pump and a needle through a valve. Like its predecessors, the ball was made of leather, handcrafted and consisted of 12 panels, but they themselves were more curved. At the Brazilian championship, FIFA for the first time allowed to print the company logo and text on the ball, but at the next four championships this was no longer allowed.
Swiss World Champion (Switzerland, 1954 G.)
Since 1954, FIFA began to officially regulate the size, weight and diameter of balls. The orange "Swiss World Champion" ball, made by Kost Sport from Basel, was the first ball to consist of 18 panels.
Top Star (Sweden, 1958)
The official ball of the 1958 World Cup in Sweden - "Top Star" - was chosen by FIFA representatives. It was manufactured by the Swedish company Sydsvenska Läder-och Remfabriken, consisted of 24 panels and was available in three colors: brown, orange and white. Each of national teams, who took part in the World Championship, received 30 balls at their disposal.
Crack Top Star (Chile, 1962 G.)
The Crack Top Star ball was made by Chilean manufacturer Custodio Zamora. It was an orange shell consisting of 18 panels. It did not make much of an impression on opening match referee Ken Aston, and the referee sent the organizers for the European ball, which arrived at the second half. Different balls were used in different World Cup matches in Chile because European teams did not trust local balls.
Challenge 4-star (England. 1966)
The 1966 Challenge 4-star ball consisted of 25 panels and was available in yellow and orange. It was hand-stitched by the British company Slesinger. In official matches there was no branding on the balls.
Telstar (Mexico, 1970)
At the championship in Mexico, we played with an Adidas ball for the first time. It was made of leather and consisted of 12 black pentagons and 20 white hexagons. The name of the ball “Telstar” was derived from the name of the American artificial Earth satellite launched into orbit in 1962. In addition, the ball was nicknamed the "Star of Television" because the design of the ball was well suited for black and white TV. The World Cup in Mexico was the first World Cup to be broadcast in live on television.
Telstar Durlast (Germany, 1974)
At the World Championships in Germany, the Telstar Durlast ball was used. The material and manufacturing techniques were identical to those used to create the 1970 Telstar.
Tango (Argentina, 1978)
For the 1978 World Cup, the “Tango” ball was created, which used 20 triads, creating the optical impression of 12 identical circles. One of its advantages over other balls was considered to be improved weather resistance.
Tango España (Spain, 1982)
For the 1982 World Cup in Spain, the “Tango España” ball was made. It was made from a mixture of genuine leather and synthetic materials. The ball had a special polyurethane coating as a water-repellent element.
Azteca (Mexico, 1986)
In Mexico, at the championship they played with the Azteca ball. This is the first ball made entirely of synthetic material. The ball triads were depicted like Aztec frescoes.
+Teamgeist (Germany, 2006)
The name "+Teamgeist" means team spirit. The ball is made of 14 external structural panels, which has resulted in a 60% reduction in joints and also increased the accuracy of the shot. As for the plus sign before the name of the ball, this was done due to the fact that the regular expression teamgeist itself could not be used as a trademark.
Jabulani (South Africa, 2010)
The ball has a South African design and its name, “Jabulani,” means “to celebrate” in the Zulu language. The ball consisted of eight external structural panels connected to each other using heat bonding technology. 11 different colors were used in the design. These colors represent the 11 players of each team, the 11 official languages South Africa and 11 South African tribes.
Brazuca (Brazil, 2014)
The World Cup ball in Brazil was called "Brazuca". The word has a dual meaning: it is used both to identify Brazilian-born people living abroad and as an expression of national pride. For the first time in history, the name of the ball for the World Cup was chosen by the fans. The ball consists of six panels and is decorated with ribbons of three colors, symbolizing the so-called wish bracelets worn in Brazil.
