World Cup Final ball goes hi-tech
Once we were happy with a round piece of leather with laces, weighing about the same as a fridge. But technology moves on and just as boots and shirts now get their prompt from science, the ball used in the World Cup Final – known as the Teamgeist – has also been designed by the men in white coats.
The Teamgeist ball from Adidas, designed in the German team colours (surely that’s got to be cheating), has a 14 panel configuration, which apparently forms a smooth and perfectly round by bringing down the number of three-panel touch points by 60% and reducing the length of the panel lines by 15%.
What does all this mean for your footballer then? Well, basically it gives players significant improvements in accuracy and control – which has been borne out in tests both with the Adidas boffins and over at Loughborough University. Good news for the England back four then. And indeed for our valiant group of penalty takers.
If you think the Teamgeist might improve your Sunday league game, here’s the bad news – it’s not in the shops yet. But expect it to hit the shelves in time for next season.
Adidas website
Shiny’s World Cup blog Who Ate All The Bratwurst
More World Cup:
World Cup portable speakers
World Cup bottle babe
