Man seems to have always had a penchant for games and competitions, whether for fun or business. Many of these included the use of balls and, in many areas of the world that meant the soccer ball. Thought originally to have been a skull kicked about, the development of today’s soccer ball has a long and interesting history.

The earliest accounts of soccer balls showed creativity in that human heads were kicked about. With villages and groups warring frequently, there was an abundance of these available for the decapitating. Unfortunately, ears and noses prevented them from coming close to round making the game less precise. Human skulls did not pass the roll test either. That wobble-roll was distinctive and, like the heads, one just could not judge which way they would go. Cloth balls did not have the bounce factor and tended to dent when kicked, but cow and pig bladders showed promise. Filling them with liquids proved to be soaking experiences while fillings such as air, dirt, moss, and hay proved more satisfactory. These were eventually reinforced by leather reducing game down-time due to breakage and the natural irregularities in shape of the bladders.

The game received a great boost when Charles Goodyear, an avid soccer fan, created the first rubberized soccer ball in 1855 followed by the inflatable rubber ball bladder invented by HJ Linden in 1862. The soccer ball had come into its own, becoming a precision item. This was one of the greatest advancements in soccer gear. The days of the which-way-will-it-go, guessing-game, wobble-rolling ball were officially over leaving the comedic aspect of the game behind. Fans responded by becoming ever more serious about their game as years have passed.

The construction of the outer leather ball went through design alterations, also. Leather strips meeting at either end of the ball, giving it a distinctly oval shape, were replaced by interlocking panels producing a round ball. It has remained round since.

Soccer became quite the fashionable international favorite, games between countries taken seriously, competition fierce. The problem was each country had developed its own version of the ball, which looked and played differently from those of other countries. While some were smooth, others were lumpy with a pillow look. Arguments over which ball would be used during games spilled out involving the players and fans. Fights became common at games. One answer was to use each for half of the game.

Eventually, standards were drawn up and designs created to meet them. Today, soccer balls soled in a soccer store are uniform in size, shape, and panel design allowing for equitable play by all teams. The ball has come from being roll-challenged to uniform and reliable. International conflict has been alleviated and peace prevails. The ball rolls on…