| A |
| AI-2000
-Type of high end synthetic leather material used to make the
outer covers on soccer balls. For more information on
soccer ball construction, click
here. |
| B |
| BAR
- The IS Metric unit of pressure equal to one million
Dynes per square centimeter. One Bar is equal to 14.5038
pounds per square inch (PSI) . It is also nearly equivalent to
one atmosphere of pressure. |
| Bladder
- Used to retain the air in an inflatable ball. Usually made
of latex or butyl. For more information click
here. |
| Buckminster
Soccer Ball or BuckyBall - The American architect Richard Buckminster Fuller came up
with the design when he was trying to find a way for constructing
buildings using a minimum of materials.
The shape is a series of hexagons, pentagons and triangles, which
can be fitted together to make a round surface. The modern football
is essentially a Buckminster Ball consisting of 20 hexagonal and 12
pentagonal surfaces. When they are sewn together and inflated they
make a near perfect sphere. For more
information on the history of the soccer ball, click
here.
|
| Butyl
Bladders - Type of material used in the construction of
ball bladders. Retains air longer than bladders made
from latex. |
| C |
| Carbon
Latex Bladders - Type of material used in the construction
of ball bladders. Retains air longer than bladders made
from latex. Carbon is added to the latex to plug some of the
microscopic holes that are in pure latex bladders. |
| Circumference
- Measurement of the outer dimension of the soccer ball.
Type of testing used in approving a soccer ball for FIFA match
use. Assures that the ball will is with in the minimum and
maximum specifications of circumference. For more
information on FIFA soccer ball testing specifications, click
here. |
Cover
- The surface of soccer balls or coverings are made
up from synthetic leather and not full grain leather because leather has a
tendency to absorb water causing the ball to become very heavy.
Synthetic leather is typically made from PU (polyurethane)
and PVC (poly vinyl chloride). For more information on soccer
ball construction, click
here. |
| D |
| DART (Dynamic Acceleration Response and
Touch) - casing system used in some Nike soccer balls |
| E |
| F |
| FIFA
Approved - Since January 1, 1996 only those outdoor soccer
balls (footballs)
which have been tested and meet the demanding quality criteria,
bearing either of the official markings 'FIFA Approved', 'FIFA
Inspected' or 'International Matchball Standard,' are allowed to be
used in FIFA (Fédération
Internationale de Football Association www.fifa.com
) competition matches and competition matches
under the auspices of the six continental Confederations. For more
information on soccer ball approvals, click
here |
| FIFA
-Fédération Internationale de Football Association at www.fifa.com |
| FIFA
Inspected - Since January 1, 1996 only those outdoor
soccer balls ( footballs)
which have been tested and meet the demanding quality criteria,
bearing either of the official markings 'FIFA Approved', 'FIFA
Inspected' or 'International Matchball Standard,' are allowed to be
used in FIFA (Fédération
Internationale de Football Association www.fifa.com
) competition matches and competition matches
under the auspices of the six continental Confederations. For more
information on soccer ball approvals, click
here |
| Football
- THE GAME or THE BALL otherwise known as a soccer ball or
futbol. Not to be confused with American football. |
| Futbol
- THE GAME or THE BALL otherwise known as a soccer ball or
football. |
| G |
| H |
| I |
| Impranil®
- Adidas's Fevernova soccer ball uses a special
foam layer with tiny gas filled balloons imbedded in a syntactic foam. The foam is based on an
abrasion resistant polyurethane made by Bayer. For more information
on the Fevernova ball and other soccer ball innovations, click
here. |
| International
Match Ball (IMS) - Since January 1, 1996 only those outdoor
soccer balls ( footballs)
which have been tested and meet the demanding quality criteria,
bearing either of the official markings 'FIFA Approved', 'FIFA
Inspected' or 'International Matchball Standard,' are allowed to be
used in FIFA (Fédération
Internationale de Football Association www.fifa.com
) competition matches and competition matches
under the auspices of the six continental Confederations. For more
information on soccer ball approvals, click
here |
| J |
| K |
| Korean
Ducksung -Type of high end synthetic leather material used
to make the outer covers on soccer balls. |
| L |
| Latex
Bladders - Type of material used in the construction of
ball bladders. Retains air less longer than bladders
made from butyl. However; latex bladders tend to have a better
"feel" than balls with butyl bladders. |
| Leather
- Early soccer balls (footballs) were made with leather outer
covers. However; the balls would absorb water and become very
heavy. Synthetic leather materials are used in today's
balls because they do not absorb as much water. For more
information on the history of the soccer ball, click
here. |
| Leatherite
- Synthetic leather usually PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) or PU (Poly Urethane). |
| Lining
- Multiple layers of lining are
placed between the cover and the bladder. These layers are composed
of polyester or cotton bonded (laminated) together to give the ball strength,
structure and bounce. Professional soccer balls usually have four or
more layers of lining. Promotional or practice balls are often
constructed with less layers of lining. The lining helps the
ball retain it's shape and bounce over the life of the ball. For
more information on soccer ball construction, click
here. |
| Loss
of Pressure - Type of testing used in approving a soccer
ball for FIFA match use. Assures that the ball will not loose
a certain amount of pressure over time. For more
information on FIFA soccer ball testing specifications, click
here. |
| M |
| MSB
- Machine Stitch Ball or Machine Stitch
Technology |
| Microfiber
- Type of synthetic leather developed to look and feel like
leather. Uses micro strands of fiber to simulate the grain
structure of leather. High end soccer balls use microfiber
for the outer cover. |
| N |
| NFHS
- National Federation of State High School Associations at
www.nfhs.org |
| NFHS
Approved - Since the 1999-2000 school year, soccer balls used in interscholastic
competition in sports for which the National Federation of State
High School Associations (NFHS) writes playing rules are required to have the NFHS authenticating mark.
For more information on this authenticating mark, click
here. |
| O |
| P |
| Panels
- The different segments that make up the outside of the ball
-- varies for each soccer ball design. For more information on
soccer ball construction, click
here. |
| PERIMETER
BALANCE TECHNOLOGY (PBT) - Puma's bladder
balance technology used on their new Shudoh
ball with dimples. |
| Pig's
Bladders - Used to retain the air in very old inflatable
balls. Today, typical bladders are made of latex or butyl. For
more information on the history of the soccer ball click
here. |
| Porvair
- Type of high end synthetic leather material used to make
the outer covers on soccer balls. For more information
on soccer ball construction, click
here. |
| PSI
- A measurement of pressure in the American system. By way
of comparison, the weight of the atmosphere (one atmosphere)
is 14.7 pounds per square inch, at sea level. In the IS
Metric system, pressure is measured in Bars. To covert PSI to
Bars, take the PSI figure and multiply it by 0.0689476. |
| PU
- Poly Urethane - Type of high end synthetic leather material
used to make the outer covers on soccer balls |
| PUMA
AIR LOCK’ (PAL) - Puma's bladder air
valve technology used on their new Shudoh
ball with dimples. |
| PVC
- Polyvinyl Chloride - Type synthetic leather material used to
make the outer covers on soccer balls. Usually used on
practice type soccer balls because it is less scuff resistant
than balls made with PU synthetic leather material. |
| Q |
| R |
| Rebound
- Type of testing used in approving a soccer ball for FIFA
match use. Assures that the ball will bounce to the specified
minimum and maximum height at a certain temperature and ball
pressure. For more information on FIFA soccer ball
testing specifications, click here. |
| S |
| Shape
and Size Retention - Type of testing used in approving a
soccer ball for the "FIFA Approved" mark. Assures
that the ball will keep it's shape, pressure and size after
subjecting it to 2000 simulated kicks against a metal
plate. A machine is used to simulate the kicks at the
specified speed and distance. For more information on
FIFA soccer ball testing specifications, click
here. |
| Soccer
Ball - THE BALL otherwise known as a football or
futbol. It is the ball used in a soccer match (duh). |
| Sphericity
- Measurement of how "round" the soccer ball is.
Type of testing used in approving a soccer ball for FIFA match
use. Assures that the ball will not deviate more than the
specified percentage from the mean value. For more
information on FIFA soccer ball testing specifications, click
here. |
| Stitching
- The highest quality balls are stitched
with a polyester or similar thread. 5-ply twisted
polyester cord is the material of choice in stitching
together a soccer ball. Hand sewn balls have tighter and
stronger seams. Kevlar® reinforced polyester stitching is
also used on some balls. For more information on
soccer ball construction, click
here. |
| Syntactic
- special
foam layer with tiny gas filled balloons imbedded within. Used
exclusively in Adidas's Fevernova soccer ball. |
| Synthetic
Leather - Simulated leather used in the outer cover of
soccer balls. |
| T |
| Teijin
Cordley - Type of high end synthetic leather material used
to make the outer covers on soccer balls. For more
information on soccer ball construction, click
here. |
| TPU
- Thermo Poly Urethane - Type of synthetic leather material
used to make the outer covers on soccer balls. For more
information on soccer ball construction, click
here. |
| Types
- Soccer balls are generally categorized into four types,
Professional Match, Match, Practice and Promotional balls. For
more information click here |
| U |
| V |
| W |
| Water
Absorption - Type of testing used in approving a soccer
ball for FIFA match use. Assures that the ball does not absorb
over the specified amount of water weight. For more
information on FIFA soccer ball testing specification, click
here. |
| Weight
- Measurement of how much a soccer ball weighs. Type
of testing used in approving a soccer ball for FIFA match use.
Assures that the ball weight is with in the specified
range. For more information on FIFA soccer ball testing
specifications, click here. |
| X |
| Y |
| Z |
Soccer
Ball Dictionary
