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Adidas World Cup Balls
1970-1982-- Leather ball with 32 panels of black and white.
1986 -- 1st non-leather water resistant ball with 32 panels
2006 -- Thermal bonded ball with 14 panels
2010 -- Thermal bonded ball with 3d design with 8 panels. 1st ball to be spherically molded to make a perfectly round ball.
During group play of the World Cup there have been some grumbling about the ball being used. Adidas has made the official ball for World Cup play since 1970. Adidas has followed the stringent rules set by FIFA, the governing body. Some of the complaints from players are that it is unpredictable and flies too easily. Why are these complaints being made now? This ball was provided to all teams in the tournament for familiarity this past February. I'm sure each team received several balls to show consistency from ball to ball. During this time almost all players when asked about the ball had only good things to say. They were all impressed with the power of the ball. To me that means the ball is traveling faster after being kicked. I decided to find out what the ball is made of.
Materials / pre-products:
> Thermoplastic polyurethane-elastomer (TPU) TPU 0.3 mm: Manufactured in Taiwan
> Latex bladder: Manufactured in India
> Ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) EVA 3.5 mm: Manufactured in China
> Isotropic polyester/cotton fabric: Manufactured in China
> Glue: Manufactured in China
> Ink (11 colours): Manufactured in China
Well I'm not a scientist, but I don't see leather listed.
Now about the grip'n'groove 3d design.
Aero grooves create the clearly visible profile on the ball’s surface. The Grip’n’Groove profile circles round the entire ball in an optimal aerodynamic way. The integrated grooves provide unmatched flight characteristics, making this the most stable and most accurate adidas ball ever. The ground-breaking performance features of the adidas “JABULANI” have been confirmed in comprehensive comparison tests at Loughborough University in England and countless checks in the wind tunnel and the adidas football laboratory in Scheinfeld, Germany.
I also read what those that tested it said. The grip'n'groove design does give added control on the foot and even when wet does not slip off the foot when struck. This design acts similar to the dimples on a golf ball. When the ball is struck true it flies unbelievably straight, which in turn adds distance. When you put spin on the ball it really moves adding an advantage over a goal keeper. Also testers stated that you could feel the increase of power when receiving a pass or stopping a shot. To me this means the ball is moving faster.
Those complaining most seem to be coming from players in leagues where Adidas is not the ball sponsor and thus could not incorporate the Jabulani into league play. What I have been able to determine is that the ball flies farther and doesn't just bend when a person wants to put spin on the ball. It moves and dives more than any previous ball, a nightmare for goal tenders.
Is it fair to have such a radically different ball? I don't know. One thing I do know is that FIFA wants to see an increase in goals and I am not sold that there has been so far. Basically I haven't done a goal comparison to previous World Cups. Maybe something for me to do.
Oh one other thing I would like to point out. Elevation. For instance Johannesburg is 5,751 ft above sea level. Anyone that has watched a Colorado Rockies home game knows what happens to baseballs hit there. So distance will be even further than what teams at lower elevations saw. Also with the lack of oxygen content the air has less stuff in it, not just oxygen, thus the term thinner air. This means the 3d grip'n'groove design has less air to grab through flight and will react differently than when tested at lower elevations. This talk about the ball now acting unpredictable may just be due to elevation. A team at a lower elevation uses the ball and knows what to expect with this new ball. That knowledge is now thrown out the window at higher elevations.
Location, location, location.
