Soccer ball

• has a spherical shape;
• made of leather or other similar material. Currently, synthetics are often used;
• has a circumference of not more than 70 cm (28 inches ) and not less than 68 cm (27 inches). Standard ball size 5 ( English Size 5 );
• at the start of the match, it weighs no more than 410 ... 450 g (14 ... 16 ounces ). Weight is indicated for a dry ball;
• has a pressure of 0.6–1.1 atmospheres (600–1100 g / sq. cm) at sea level (from 8.5 psi to 15.6 psi).

At the stage of development of football, the ball was made from the bladders of animals that quickly deteriorated if they were hit hard enough. Ball manufacturing technology has changed dramatically with the discovery of vulcanized rubber by Charles Goodyear in 1838 . In 1855, Goodyear introduced the first ball made of rubber . The use of rubber allowed to strengthen the quality of the ball rebound and its strength.

Seven years later, in 1862 , another inventor, Richard Lyndon, created the first inflatable rubber chamber for the ball ^[1] . He later developed a pump for the camera, and at an exhibition in London, his invention won a medal. Thanks to the discovery of rubber and the invention of the inflatable chamber, the necessary technical conditions were created for the industrial production of soccer balls.

In 1863, the Football Association of England was founded, which for the first time unified the football rules, but at that time nothing was mentioned about the soccer ball in them. In 1872, the standard size and weight of the ball was officially established. Prior to this, the size and weight of the soccer ball was determined by mutual agreement of the interested parties. In accordance with the new rules, a soccer ball must have a spherical shape with a volume (circumference) of 68.6 to 71.7 cm. The mass of the ball could range from 367 to 425 grams. In 1937, the mass of the ball was increased to 400-450 grams, and from that moment this rule has remained unchanged to this day ^[2] . In 1888, the Football League of England was founded. Thanks to her orders, the serial production of soccer balls for the first time began by the companies Miter ( Miter ) and Tomlinson ( Thomlinson ). At the beginning of the 20th century, their quality improved significantly, thanks to durable rubber, the chamber could withstand a lot of pressure. The ball consisted of an inner chamber and a tire. The tire was made of genuine leather and consisted of 18 panels sewn together. The nipple was hidden under the lacing. A fully synthetic soccer ball was made in the early 1960s . Genuine leather was still used in manufacturing, but in the late 1980s, synthetic materials completely replaced it.

A soccer ball consists of three main components: tires, lining and camera.

Tire

Initially, the tire was made of genuine leather. Nowadays, synthetics are mainly used, since the skin absorbs water and the ball gains weight. As a rule, PU ( polyurethane ) or PVC ( polyvinyl chloride ) material is used. Most modern balls consist of 32 waterproof panels, 12 of them are pentagonal, 20 are hexagonal. The panels of a soccer ball are sewn together with threads manually or by machine or glued together.

The design of these 32 polygons is called the truncated icosahedron - a geometric figure quite close to the ball, a compromise between the non-sphericity and the number of seams on the tire. The spherical shape is attached to the ball due to the pressure of the air pumped in. The first such ball was made in Denmark in 1950 by Select and was widely used in Europe . Worldwide began to be used after the World Cup in 1970, which were such balls produced by Adidas . Prior to this, a ball with lacing was used, consisting of 18 oblong parts and in its structure similar to modern volleyballs . This design is quite common to this day.

In 2004, Adidas first introduced Roteiro , the official ball of the 2004 European Football Championship . Roteiro panels were bonded to each other with a fundamentally new method - thermal bonding technology. The final of the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany was played with a Teamgeist ball. For the first time since 1970, Adidas stepped back from its traditional 32-panel tire configuration and introduced a 14-panel ball. The ball panels were bonded by thermal bonding. The official ball of the World Cup in South Africa in 2010 was Adidas Jabulani . The structure of a soccer ball consists of 8 panels, also bonded to each other using the thermal method.

Lining

The inner layer between the tire and the camera is lined. The quality of a soccer ball directly depends on the thickness of the lining. It affects the quality of the ball rebound and helps maintain its shape. The material for the manufacture is polyester or pressed cotton. A modern professional soccer ball consists of four or more layers of lining.

Camera

It is made from synthetic butyl or natural latex , sometimes from polyurethane . The latex chamber retains air for a shorter time than butyl. At the same time, the latex chamber has an advantage over cameras made of butyl or polyurethane in three main respects: softness, rebound and elasticity.

• Size 1

Balls of this size are used primarily for advertising purposes and are made with displayed logos or inscriptions of an advertising nature. Usually they are made of synthetic materials, they consist of 32 panels (12 pentagons and 20 hexagons), and their circumference does not exceed 43 cm. In their structure, balls of the first size are no different from standard balls, only inferior to them in size.

• Size 2

Balls of this size are mainly used for advertising and for teaching children under four years of age. The ball is made of synthetic materials, plastic or material (polyvinyl chloride). The maximum circumference is 56 cm, and the mass does not exceed 283.5 g. Balls of this size are best suited for training and improving the technique of ball possession. The ball may consist of 32 or 26 panels. Sometimes it depicts logos, signs and various inscriptions of an advertising nature.

• Size 3

Balls of this size are designed for training children under the age of 8 years. The weight of the ball does not exceed 340 g, and the circumference does not exceed 61 cm. Usually balls of this size consist of 32 stitched or glued panels made of synthetic materials or polyvinyl chloride . Sometimes balls of this size are sewn from 18 or 26 panels.

• Size 4

Balls of this size are standard for indoor soccer , and are also intended for training children under the age of 12 years. In accordance with the FIFA Rules ( Futsal Laws of the Game EN 2012-2013 FIFA ), the ball must meet the following requirements:

- be spherical;

- be made of leather or other approved material;

- have a circumference of not more than 64 cm and not less than 62 cm;

- have weight at the beginning of the match no more than 440 g and at least 400 g;

- have a pressure equal to 0.6-0.9 atmospheres (600-900 g / cm ² ) above sea level;

- have a first bounce of at least 50 cm and not more than 65 cm when falling from a height of 2 m.

• Size 5

Balls of this size are used in all official competitions held under the auspices of FIFA around the world. A ball of this size is most commonly used in football . Fifth-size soccer balls are produced more than all other balls from the first to fourth sizes combined. The ball has a circumference of 68–70 cm, and weighs no more than 450 g ^[3] .

There are also lightweight soccer balls (for women and children), the circumference and weight of which may differ from officially accepted ones. ^[four]

• If the ball bursts or gets damaged during the game, the game stops. It resumes with a reserve ball from the "controversial ball" in the place where it fell into disrepair.
• If the ball bursts or gets damaged when it was not in the game - with an initial hit, a goal kick , a corner , a free kick , a free kick , a shot from the 11-meter mark or a throw-in , then after replacing the ball the game resumes accordingly.

The ball may be replaced during the game only as directed by the referee .

The old balls were monochrome, brown, then white. Subsequently, for the convenience of broadcasting to black and white TVs , the ball was made spotty - with black pentagons and white hexagons. This coloring has become the standard for balls and symbols in principle. There are other balls, such as Nike 's Total 90 Aerow, which has rings applied to make it easier for the goalkeeper to determine the rotation of the ball. In matches taking place on a snowy field or during a snowfall, balls of bright colors, mainly orange, are used.

By decision of FIFA in official games, any emblems or advertising on balls is prohibited, except for the following:

• competition or competition organizer;
• ball manufacturing company;
• ball access marks.

In accordance with the FIFA quality control system, all balls used in matches held under the auspices of this football organization must first receive the FIFA APPROVED or FIFA INSPECTED badges. To obtain the FIFA INSPECTED mark, balls must pass a series of tests, including weight control, moisture absorption, rebound, roundness, circumference and pressure loss. In order to receive the FIFA APPROVED mark, the ball must pass, in addition to the above tests, additional tests to preserve the size and shape ^[5] . At the same time, manufacturers of soccer balls must pay a certain sum of money to FIFA for permission to put such signs on soccer balls.

The vast majority of balls (80%) are made in Pakistan , with 75% of them (60% of the total production in the world) - in the city of Sialkot . Previously, child labor was often used in production, but after Euro 2004 , publications on this subject appeared in the press, and international organizations for the protection of children, in particular UNICEF, took up the plant ^[6] .

At the World Cup in Germany, balls were made in Thailand . For the first time since 1970, Adidas did not produce balls at the Sialkot factory. Nevertheless, the company planned to produce all 60 million goals for sale there.

The atomic lattice of the simplest of the fullerenes C ₆₀ resembles a soccer ball. The carbon atoms in this fullerene occupy positions similar to the positions of the vertices in the tire cover.

• A paper model of a truncated icosahedron
• Rule No. 2 “Ball” , refereeclub.ru
• Soccer balls: a story
• Ball Reference