The Intriguing History Of The Official Soccer Ball

Today, playing soccer without using the official soccer ball would be virtually unthinkable – even to those that play their soccer in by-lanes and on dirty playing fields. From the very earliest times humans have had a penchant for kicking balls and the history of the official soccer ball has some truly intriguing moments in it. For example, some historians say (and there are numerous legendary tales as well) that describe the practice of early soccer being played with balls that were made from humans skulls held inside animal skins.

Han Dynasty Of China

The earliest instance of the official soccer ball can be traced as far back as to the Han Dynasty of China when during the period 255 BC through to 200 AD; the Chinese played their version of soccer (Tsu Chu) with balls made from animal skins. In fact, one could even consider the first official soccer ball as being an inflated bladder of a pig that could be kicked through the air.

However, what is more certain regarding the official soccer ball’s history is that in the year 1855 the first soccer ball (vulcanized) was produced by Charles Goodyear and this type of official soccer ball soon came to be mass produced because of the foundation in the year 1888 of the English Football League.

The first company to create the official soccer ball was Mitre and Tomlinson who mass produced these balls. Since then, many variations as well as types of official soccer balls have been used – mostly without any standard to guide their dimension and materials. This lack of standard in the game of soccer often resulted in injuries as well as in violence that required the intervention of the organization known as FIFA who introduced rules as well as set out standards regarding the weight, size as well as type of official soccer ball that could be used for playing soccer in the proper manner.

The first official soccer ball used in a FIFA World Cup was made by Adidas and that particular ball was known as the Adidas Telstar that was made from leather and which was a superbly round soccer ball.

In modern times, people that go looking to purchase a soccer ball are hard pressed to know the difference between various kinds of official soccer balls. However, in order to differentiate between various soccer balls and to know which among many is the best soccer ball it is necessary to take into account a few factors. So, looking at the cover of the ball, its size and weight, materials as well as construction are important factors that will help set apart the best from the run-of-mill soccer balls.