What Soccer Ball to Choose?

At first glance, it seems that buying a soccer ball is not difficult. But the matter becomes much more complicated if your goal is to choose a really high-quality soccer ball. Agree, it’s not very pleasant when, after several games, bumps appear on the ball, the seams crack, or it simply becomes uncontrollable. In addition, a soccer ball that is designed to play in the hall will be radically different from a soccer ball for the street. And all the subtleties of the difference must be captured, since soccer balls differ not only in the place of the game but also in materials, the number of panels, weight, size, which directly or indirectly affects the quality of the football game. Therefore, in order to save time and not stand idle in thought near the shelf with soccer balls, we have compiled a small guide on how to choose a soccer ball.

Main types of soccer balls

The first task will be to decide for what purpose you want to buy a soccer ball. There are several types of balls in total:

• Professional soccer ball. Premium quality products. These balls are used for official major league football matches. A professional soccer ball can be played in all weather conditions.
• Training ball. It has high strength and also repels water well. It can be played on both asphalt and grass.
• Amateur ball. A good option for football fans. Its characteristics are inferior to professional and training balls.
• Ball for mini-football/futsal. These balls come in a size 4 type (more on that later), and unlike standard soccer balls, the futsal ball’s chamber is filled with foam, latex, or other special materials that make it heavier and provide a low bounce.

What materials are most commonly used for soccer balls production?

The most common materials for soccer balls are polyurethane (PU, PU) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC, PVC). In the early days, soccer balls were also made from natural leather, but this is far inferior to the new synthetic materials, as the leather gets wet quickly, it is heavier and the leather ball bounces worse.

PU soccer ball. Polyerutan is highly wearing resistant. Polyurethane balls bounce well and are easy to control. The surface of such a ball can be either glossy or matte. The glossy finish improves aerodynamics and has good water repellency.

PVC soccer ball. Balls made of this material can feel like plastic to the touch, and in winter they become especially hard, so they are best played indoors. Polyvinyl chloride soccer balls are most often used for training, as they are easy to control. Also, polyvinyl chloride is an order of magnitude cheaper than polyurethane.

Lining. An important factor in a good soccer ball is also the lining layer. The weight of the ball, its elasticity, and its sphericity depend on it. It is worth noting that the better the top layer (tire) of the ball, the fewer lining layers are needed. Good balls have about 3 layers of lining, for training balls, 3-4 layers are used. The lining can be made of fabric and foam or cotton fibers (non-woven). The fabric and foam lining quickly absorb water, which makes the ball heavier and less controllable. The non-woven lining has good water-repellent properties, and also thanks to it the ball quickly returns to its shape after each hit.

We hope that this information was useful you will choose the right equipment. To find the proper soccer ball just visit the Weekend Offender website.

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