Adidas isn’t trying to reinvent the soccer ball, just trying to perfect it.
Last month, the company unveiled its new ball for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. It’s called the Jabulani. It’s supposed to fly truer than any ball ever produced.
The name comes from the Bantu language isiZulu, one of the 11 official languages of the Republic of South Africa. Literally translated, “jabulani” means “to celebrate.” To that end, the 11 colors on the ball signify the 11 languages.
“As far as the colors and the look of the ball, I think it’s pretty awesome and I like the whole idea of what it represents,” Rapids goalkeeper Preston Burpo said.
Adidas subjected the new ball to robotic kicking and to wind-tunnel testing at Loughborough University in England and at its own soccer lab in Germany. The end product, Adidas claims, is the most accurate ball ever created.
“It is all about innovation,” Antonio Zea, director of Adidas Soccer North America, told The New York Times. “The ball is the icon of the World Cup, the most visible symbol of the event. With some new technology — thermal bonding — we believe we’ve moved into a different realm. We’ve reduced the seams, using innovative ideas and materials from aerospace to determine the flight of the balls. We’re striving for it to have the same weight and shape in the first minute and the 90th minute. It’s about enabling the players to perform at the highest level.”
Casual sports fans might think of the traditional soccer ball as the old 32-panel, black-and-white ball they kicked around the playground. But all of those seams and panels could make the ball do funny things. That’s why Adidas is constantly reshaping its ball.
With mixed results.
For the 2006 World Cup in Germany, Adidas rolled out the “Teamgeist” (team spirit) ball. That stitchless ball featured 14 panels and was considered very lively. Strikers and midfielders loved it because they could bend shots like Beckham.
But for goalkeepers, the Teamgeist ball was a kick in the head. The ball tended to knuckle in mid-air, especially if there was moisture or dirt on it. Some players said the new ball was another step in attempts to put more scoring in the game.
“I think in the last six to 10 years we have seen a huge difference,” Rapids coach Gary Smith said. “I think players are able to work the ball more than ever before. Top- class players can get a lot of movement on the ball.”
Which makes it rough on the netminders.
“Back in the day, you saw keepers making a lot more catches than today,” Smith said. “Now you don’t see that as much. You see them punching the ball away a lot, just keeping the ball away. It’s made for a more exciting game.”
As an upgrade to the Teamgeist ball, Adidas gave the Jabulani ball what the company calls “aero grooves.” These are indentations set in a specific pattern that run along raised panels to help give the ball consistent trajectory. The upgrade should help goalkeepers better track the ball and eliminate the knuckleball effect.
But the Jabulani ball also promises to give offensive players terrific control. The ball’s surface has micro-texture indentations to provide better grip, regardless of the field conditions. According to Adidas, the eight-panel ball increases the kicking surface by 70 percent, enabling players to transfer more power into the ball.
“Really, how many people think about the goalkeeper when they design a new ball?” Burpo said. “I’m sure Adidas is happy with the new ball and I’m sure it’s geared toward more offense. Hey, I understand that.”
Patrick Saunders: 303-954-1720 or psaunders@denverpost.com
On the ball
The lowdown on the official Adidas soccer ball for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa:
The name:The name Jabulani originates from the Bantu language isiZulu, one of the 11 official languages of the Republic of South Africa, which is spoken by almost 25 percent of the population. Literally translated, “Jabulani” means “to celebrate.”
The design:Eleven different colors are used, representing the 11 players on a team, the 11 official languages of South Africa and the 11 South African tribes that make the country one of the most ethnologically diverse on the African continent.
The science:The ball uses eight thermally bonded 3-D panels, which for the first time are spherically molded to give the ball true flight. The newly developed “Grip’n’Groove” surface provides players a consistent grip under all conditions.
Source: Adidas
