New Tech Inside the Controversial World Cup Ball
May 31 -- Can a better ball help even the best play better?
According to Adidas, the German manufacturer of the World Cup soccer ball, it's possible. For this year's games beginning in Seoul today, players will be whacking around the latest in soccer ball technology.
Gunther Pfau at the Adidas football laboratory in in Scheinfeld, Germany claims the so-called Fevernova model, designed specially for the 2002 World Cup, is 25 percent more precise and 10 percent faster than Adidas' 1998 match ball, the Tricolore. (Adidas already is selling the Fevernova ball to the public for about $140 each).
Pfau and colleagues calculated those estimates through kicking tests using a robotic leg designed just for the job. In tests the robotic leg consistently struck an area only 20 centimeters (8 inches) across from a distance of 20 meters to 25 meters (65-82 feet) away. Fifty percent of the time, the leg kicked the ball exactly on target.
The ball is also slightly faster than previous models and can be kicked to speeds up to 130 kilometers (80 miles) an hour.
Too Much Tech?
So far the ball has gotten mixed reviews from players. Belgium's goalkeeping coach has complained the ball is "too light." Brazilian midfielder Rivaldo told reporters the ball soars too far when kicked. And Brazilian forward Edilson was quoted as saying the ball is "too big and too light."
The ball's best review has come from England's star midfielder David Beckham who calls the ball's accuracy "exceptional." Incidentally, Beckham is sponsored by Adidas and helped design the ball.
Part of the reason behind the range in comments may be that the structure of the ball is so new — and perhaps unfamiliar.
Adidas says the ball derives its extra precision and spring from a unique foam padding tucked between its polymer skin and internal latex air bladder. The foam is made up of millions of microscopic gas-filled bubbles, or "microballoons." Pfau claims these bubbles improve the transfer of force from a player's foot to the ball, making it go faster.
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