It's a whole new ball game

There are only 17 Laws of football and one of them is devoted entirely to - the Ball.

Not surprising when you think about it. It must be one of the most important parts of the game and yet it usually receives scant attention. That is until something unusual happens. Like the double swerve noticed in the World Cup or now the news of a high-tech fluorescent yellow ball for the darker months. (You have to wonder what took them so long - the yellow ball has been in other sports for ages).

No longer a brown pudding

The ball itself really has changed over the years. Ask anyone like me, weaned on the 18-panel leather ball with inner tube. Heading that heavy brown pudding on a wet Winter’s day was no joke, especially if you caught the lacing. Legend has it that Stanley Matthews used to deliver his centres with the lace away from his forward to make it easier! And the poor goalkeeper struggled to get it, even when dry, as far as the half way line. Skills such as flighting and bending the ball have certainly developed with the modern waterproof, laceless variety. Just imagine what a difference it would have made to the old stars like Matthews.

Choice of colour

According to Law 2 the ball has to be spherical (no surprise there) and can be made of leather or other suitable material, but no mention of colour. The only criterion is visibility, so at the moment we use a white ball (which was actually introduced for black and white TV) until we have snow on the ground and then the orange ball appears. If the new fluorescent ball lives up to its hype (and isn’t too expensive for clubs outside the Football League), it could become the universal choice all the year round and simplify matters for referees as well.

Size, weight and pressure of the ball are specified. Interestingly, the pressure was changed in 1983 to bring it into line with practice.

And finally . . .

The ball also gets a mention in other laws: it must be stationary at a free kick; it must go back over the head at a throw-in; it must be completely over the line to be out of play or for a goal to be scored and, from this season, it no longer has to travel its own circumference to be in play.

Of course, if it bursts or deflates during play, play is restarted by a dropped (new) ball where the old ball was.

Brian Palmer

© B. Palmer 1998

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