How to care for your footballs

Footballs.  The game just wouldn't be the same without them.  As the beautiful game has evolved over the years, new versions of the game have developed giving football players and teams lots of different ways to play the game.  From the traditional 11-a-side on a Saturday or Sunday morning at your local park on a regular grass pitch, to playing 5-a-side on your local sports centre's astroturf, 3G or state of the art 4G pitches, there is now a big choice of ways to play your football game.

With these developments, more thought has gone into football production.  Gone are the days of just making a standard leather football with 18 stitched panels with a bladder inside.  Footballs are now more technologically advanced than ever before, with a variety of different materials and compositions used to suit the different types of football games played and the pitches they are played on.

  [caption id="attachment_1218" align="alignleft" width="300"] Mitre Ultimax - this professional quality match football from the brand leader of footballs is used in many leagues across the world. Superb quality and value at just £32.50 each![/caption] [caption id="attachment_1214" align="alignleft" width="300"] Direct Soccer Rapide Pro - Unbelievable 5-star quality match football at just £11.99 each, a saving of over 75% on the RRP![/caption]                                

The most popular style of football is the Match or Training football, as they will be used the most often.  Match balls tend to vary between professional types used in all the top leagues like the Mitre Delta V12S Professional Match Football to standard match quality footballs like the Mitre Gold.  A professional quality football is approved for use in all the top professional leagues, and offers you pure performance, great accuracy, speed and control.  They are designed for use on all natural and artificial turf surfaces and use in all climates.  They tend to have more of a grained feel on the outer surface and are usually made from materials such as rubber, polyurethane (PU), South Korean polyurethane and ducksung PU so will offer a better bounce and flight than a ball made from PVC which tends to be a cheaper training ball's main material.  Not using PVC also helps prevent the ball from gaining excessive weight and becoming heavy to kick and head.  Match level footballs are still a high performance football that are suitable for all age groups to use and are guaranteed to conform to official size, weight and shape regulations.  Materials used in a match quality football are developed for performance and reliability.

  [caption id="attachment_1215" align="alignleft" width="300"] Mitre Gold - Our exclusive designed Mitre match football is great value at just £14.99 each and looks striking in the white/black/gold colourway.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1213" align="alignleft" width="300"] Direct Soccer Rapide - our best selling training ball offers outstanding quality at an affordable price, making this ball appealing for teams to use in training as well as matches.[/caption]                                

Our Direct Soccer Rapide football is a match quality football however the amazing price means it is ideal to be used for training as well as in matches.  As footballs will be used more frequently in training sessions (simply because each player needs to have a ball to use to practice), they need to be able to withstand more punishment and be more durable than a match or professional football which is all about the performance aspect.  Useful on all playing surfaces, training footballs like the Rapide, Mitre Primero, adidas Starlancer V and Nike Team Training are great footballs for your team to consider using when training.

Specialist footballs are appealing to those playing some of the newer forms of the game, like 5-a-side or Futsal.  Designed to offer a reduced rate of rebound, the Mitre Nebula Futsal has a high-air retention bladder and is hard-wearing thanks to the grained surface.  Our Direct Soccer Indoor Football is a great ball to use for indoor 5-a-side games and has a low bounce felt outer material.

  [caption id="attachment_343" align="alignleft" width="300"] Nike Team Catalyst Football - a great FIFA Approved match football that comes in size 5. Brilliant for adult football teams to have in their kit bag ready for matches.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1216" align="alignleft" width="300"] Mitre Max Fluo - Ideal for using in winter time matches or in the evenings, this fluorescent yellow football is highly visible and the FIFA Approved mark offers a high quality football for use in match play.[/caption]                                

So how do you look after your footballs and ensure you get a good length of use out of them?  It is natural that as footballs are kicked around at up to speeds of 100mph, hit off objects such as walls, fences, trees, bushes, even other players, that they won't stay as good as new as the day you got them, but you can take a few steps to ensure they are well looked after and help prolong their shelf life.

INFLATING

On one of the football's panels, usually near the valve area where you will insert your needle adaptor to inflate the football, there will be a recommended pressure to inflate the football to.  This is usually in P.S.I and BAR.

A size 3 football should usually weigh between 0.5 and 0.7 BAR

Size 4 footballs are ideally measured at weighing between 0.7 and 0.8 BAR

A size 5 football's optimal weight is usually between 0.8 and 1.0 BAR

Make sure when inflating your footballs that you use a proper Football Pump like our Direct Soccer Ball Pump or Direct Soccer Stirrup Pump.  The ball should be turned around so the valve is at the highest point of the ball when it is held or placed on the ground, which allows the inner tube to lie beneath the valve.  This helps minimise damage to the ball.  It is also suggested to moisten the needle adaptor first before inserting it into the valve as this helps with insertion and minimises the chance of the bladder being damaged and the ball not inflating.

When you have finished playing your match or training, a good idea is to decrease the air pressure in the ball as this helps remove the strain on the stitching which should help keep your footballs in good condition for a longer period of time.

If you aren't sure what pressure a ball is at when you begin inflating it, a pressure gauge is a great tool to have in your kit bag.

Taking these steps when blowing up your footballs will help maintain their shape, weight and also help prevent injuries which can occur if a football is pumped up too high.

    [caption id="attachment_1217" align="alignleft" width="300"] Mitre Primero - this size 3 football is great for kids using in football training thanks to the soft feel outer layer which gives younger players confidence when heading.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_1219" align="alignleft" width="300"] Adidas Starlancer V - an excellent training football from the brand with 3-stripes in a great looking white with orange and black colour combination. Available in sizes 3 to 5.[/caption]                                

CLEANING

Cleaning your footballs will ensure you get longer use out of them, however consider the value of the footballs as to how long you should spend cleaning them.  A higher value football will require more attention than a cheaper training ball, but the rewards are greater in terms of how long the ball will last.

Use a damp cloth to clean dirty marks off of the ball's surface and a warm clean towel to dry the ball.  Make sure to carefully remove grit from any stitched areas.  If this isn't removed, when drying the ball you could scratch the ball's surface, which while it won't damage the ball immediately, could cause it to deteriorate when it comes to the next winter season.

Make sure when cleaning the football to only use a mild cleaning agent as some detergents and cleaners may be abrasive.  The ball's inner and outer layers can be damaged if washing under a high pressure wash too so it is best to just use low pressure water.

Indoor footballs like the Direct Soccer Indoor ball are basically a giant tennis ball and have a felt outer surface.  This means they can't get wet.  Use a clothes brush to brush dirt off of the ball or if it is really dirty, then a medium strength carpet foam is recommended which must be brushed off after use.

[caption id="attachment_55" align="alignleft" width="300"] Nike Training Football - available in a choice of either white, yellow or orange, this football features a plain design with Nike swoosh across the centre of the ball and comes in sizes 3 to 5.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_56" align="alignleft" width="253"] Direct Soccer Rapide - to tell the difference between the different sizes of our Rapide ball, they come in a different contrast colour. Red is for size 5, sky blue is the size 4 Rapide, and Royal Blue is the colour on the size 3's. They also come in a base yellow colour for use on darker nights.[/caption]

                                 

STORAGE

Where you store your footballs is equally as important as keeping them inflated correctly and clean.  If the footballs are still wet after your match or training is finished, then make sure they are dried before you store them away.

Make sure the footballs are stored in a place that is not exposed to extreme temperatures as the colder or hotter conditions can affect the ball's performance.  It is also important to make sure they aren't exposed to direct sunlight.

Storing your footballs near or next to a radiator is an own goal too, as this can cause the football's surface to crack or even shrink the footballs.

The best way to maintain your football's quality is to store them in a purpose made football ball bag that has a ventilated panel.

By looking after your footballs using this care advice, you should get a great deal of enjoyment out of using them as the players will be able to use them properly and won't complain about the footballs not being round or being too heavy.  It will also help your club save money by not having to replace them so often due to them not being cared for properly.

Train your players to use common sense when using the footballs too, by encouraging them not to bounce or kick on concrete abrasive surfaces, off of walls, or near thorn bushes.  It's also an idea to encourage them to retrieve the football as soon as possible if it goes out of the pitch's immediate area as there is nothing more frustrating than starting a training session with 20 footballs and finding 2 are missing due to the players not collecting them straight away after a wayward shot.

If you do lose some of your footballs though and need to buy replacements to make sure every one of your players has a ball to use while training, then our great range of choice at Direct Soccer and Express Football Kits is perfect for all the footballs you will use during your season in match play and training.  Keep an eye out for our great value Bargain Boxes too where you can save money on the football's individual price when you purchase a set of 5.