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The key element for one of the most popular sports in the world, soccer balls come in different designs, sizes and weights. Plus, the materials used for the construction of the soccer balls are also very diverse, directly influencing the features of the finite products as well as the price. 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 may appear 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 varieties 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. After being sewn together and inflated, the panels create the nearly perfect sphere that we call soccer ball.

A special material called the lining is used between the internal bladder that holds the air and the outer covering. Laminated cotton or polyester are normally used for the intermediary layer, and they play an important part in the bouncing and strength features of the ball. 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 made 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 present no air retention problem, but require valves to keep the air inside.

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