Soccer Balls
The key element for one of the most popular sports in the world, soccer balls come in different designs, sizes and weights. The diversity also extends to the materials soccer balls are made of and the features of the final product. 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 seems 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 types 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 encountered with some leagues in Scotland and England. Soccer balls create nearly perfect spheres once the panels are sewn together and inflated.
A special material called the lining is used between the internal bladder that holds the air and the outer covering. These intermediary layer can be made of polyester or laminated cotton, thus contributing to the strength and the bounce properties of the finite product. In the professional design of soccer balls, up to five different linings can be used, although practice balls include fewer linings.
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 manufactured 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.
In order to keep the ball practical, you’ll have to re-inflate it at least once a week. Butyl soccer balls on the other hand have an excellent air retention capacity and rely on valves for this process.
Co-submitted by: Left Handed Mens Golf Clubs.

