Who / Where / When invented / invented a soccer ball?

It is not possible to name the sole inventor of the soccer ball due to the fact that the process of evolution of this game projectile took place over many centuries and went through several stages. At the same time, we have the right to indicate several names of inventors who played a key role in the process of improving the soccer ball.

The first revolutionary event in the history of the development of a football projectile occurred in 1836. It was then that the American inventor Charles Goodyear created the first rubber ball, characterized by high strength and jumping ability. By the way, you can see the first prototype of a modern soccer ball in the Football Hall of Fame, located in the USA.

Around the same time, an English inventor by the name of Lindon proposed the design of a rubber chamber into which air could be pumped. This innovation made it possible to give the projectile a more correct shape and increase its resistance to powerful blows from football players.

Another significant milestone in the evolutionary path of the soccer ball was Richard Buckminster’s invention of a 32-panel design in the early 60s of the last century. Now this construction of black and white pentagons and hexagons, which has received the unofficial name “Buckyball”, has become a classic and is known even to those who are not fond of football. By the way, its inventor himself was not a football fan. He was engaged in developments in the field of construction and architecture, and the design he created came into the world of football completely by accident.

During the same time period, active experiments began with the use of various synthetic materials and the introduction of additional lining layers into the construction of a football projectile. Subsequent technological developments made it possible several years later to obtain a ball characterized by strength, moisture resistance, sphericity and excellent aerodynamic properties.

For many years, heated discussions have been held on the subject of which country can be considered the “homeland” of a football. Game projectiles that look like a ball were known in various historical eras in the following countries:

China
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Rome
Ancient Greece
Great Britain
Inca Empire

At the same time, the design, size and shape of the balls had significant differences in different regions. For example, in ancient China, long before our era, they learned to make balls from animal skin. Bird feathers and horsehair were used as stuffing. By the way, researchers claim that the Chinese version of the game, which was played with such a projectile, in its content was closest to modern football.

In ancient Rome, they also knew how to design balls made of leather, and the Romans used fig grains, hay and straw as a filler. They played with such balls in the game “harpastum”, popular among legionnaires. It is believed that at the beginning of the Middle Ages this game was mastered and adopted by the British.

In ancient Greece, several games were invented at once, which were played with spherical shells made of the skins of cows and sheep, stuffed with sand, feathers and rags.

In the Middle Ages, in the Foggy Albion, initially spherical vegetables tied with horsehair were used as balls. Then shells came into use, the construction of which was based on the bladders of animals. There is a creepy legend according to which, in certain historical periods, the severed heads of enemies were used as balls for games on the islands.

For the indigenous inhabitants of South and Central America, the ball was not so much an object for entertaining games as a totem symbolizing the deities of the Sun and Moon. By the way, it was from there that the colonialists brought to Europe the outlandish balls made of natural rubber at that time.

If we talk about the dating of the appearance of the first analogue of a modern soccer ball, then this question remains open. The subject of the loudest disputes is what can be considered a prototype of a soccer ball.

Games using a leather spherical projectile were actively played in China back in the 2nd century BC. The researchers also refer to a written mention of the alleged first international match in the game “harpastum”, in which the British defeated the Romans in a fierce struggle. As you already know, this game also used a leather shell, shaped like a modern ball.

Many people prefer to consider the “birthday” of a football in 1836, when Charles Goodyear showed the world a shell with a rubber base. However, the key turning point in the chronology of the evolution of the ball, perhaps, should be considered the year 1872. It was then that the Football Association of England adopted a single standard for footballs, according to which a game projectile should have a circumference of no more than 70 centimeters, and it should not be heavier than 15 ounces in weight. It is worth noting that this standard has been relevant for more than a century and a half.

If we talk about when the traditional 32-panel soccer ball design was invented, then historical facts refer us to the beginning of the second half of the 20th century, when the architectural developments of engineer Buckminster were embodied in one of the most ingenious inventions of the sports industry.

In this article, the following issues related to the origin of the projectile for playing football were considered:

Who is the inventor of the soccer ball

In which country did the soccer ball originate

When the soccer ball appeared

Latest Arrivals categories: Soccer Balls