New Tech Inside the Controversial World Cup Ball

May 31, 2002 -- 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.

The bubbles, as well as a new textile mesh coating around the ball's bladder, help maintain the ball's spherical shape in flight, Pfau says. The mesh coating prevents distortion in the bladder's shape and the bubbles in the foam spring back more quickly and distribute force more evenly after a kick. A rounder ball in flight is less likely to veer off course because airflow around the ball remains more uniform.

Of course, other companies say their new ball models are better, even if they're not being used in the World Cup.

Spaulding's Soft Skin

Ron Laliberty, director of research and development at Spaulding, says his company's new ball is also more precise and features a "softer" touch. The new Spaulding Infusion soccer ball model, released in February, is made from a soft coating of thermoplastic polyurethane. By softening the ball's skin, Laliberty says designers were able to then make the ball's air bladder more firm, which, he says, lends the ball better air retention and durability.

The softer skin also allows the company to use machines to stitch the hexagonal pieces of the ball's outer skin together rather than having it done by hand as other top of the line balls are made. The machine stitching, he argues, gives the ball more symmetry and makes it more precise.

"Any time you improve the construction of the ball, making it completely round, the more precision you get from your kick," Laliberty says.

Anything But Cowhide

Peter Brancazio, a physics professor emeritus from Brooklyn College and author of the book SportsScience, isn't convinced any newfangled ball can make much of a difference.

"Sounds like a lot of marketing talk to me," he said. "The accuracy of the kick really depends on the player's ability to put their foot on the right spot of the ball. No technology is going to help you do that."

There's little question, however, that the new balls are an improvement from the game's earliest models. Soccer balls were originally made from cowhide and the quality of balls varied, depending on which part of the cow the hide was drawn from.

More importantly, the cowhide balls changed dramatically when conditions were wet since they absorbed moisture and became heavier.

The new Fevernova ball may feel good to some players' feet and strange to others,' but at least that won't change with the weather.