STANDARDS

CCSS: 7.G.B.6, 8.G.C.9, MP4, MP5, MP6

TEKS: 8.7A, 8.7B

GOOOAL!

How the soccer ball has been improved over time to achieve a more perfect sphere

October 2024

By Karina Hamalainen

Some say soccer—or football, as it’s called in much of the world—started in China 2,000 years ago. A similar ball game may have been played by the Maya in Central America even earlier. And ancient Greeks and Romans played a soccer-like game called harpastum.

No matter where it started, people love kicking a ball around on a grassy field. Since the official rules were written in 1863, people have been perfecting the sport and its gear. “Sporting goods companies continue to create new balls using innovative designs with new materials that are more accurate in flight, have a softer feel, and are safer to hit with your head,” says Ed Farnsworth, director of the Society for American Soccer History.

When did people start playing soccer? Some experts think it was in China around 2,000 years ago. The Maya people in Central America may have played a similar game even earlier. The ancient Greeks and Romans also played a soccer-like game. They called it harpastum.

No matter where it started, people love kicking a ball around. But what that ball looks like has changed over the years. “Sporting goods companies continue to create new balls using innovative designs,” says Ed Farnsworth. He’s the director of the Society for American Soccer History. Modern balls use “new materials that are more accurate in flight,” he says. They also feel softer and are safer to hit with your head.

FINDING SURFACE AREA

Surface area is the sum of the area of all the outer surfaces on a 3-d figure. You add the area of the smaller parts of a surface to find the total surface area.

FINDING SURFACE AREA

Surface area is the sum of the area of all the outer surfaces on a 3-d figure. You add the area of the smaller parts of a surface to find the total surface area.

Use the formulas below to find the surface area of soccer balls from history. Use 3.14 for pi. Round answers to the nearest hundredth. Record your work and answers on our answer sheet.

Pre-1800s

Courtesy of National Football Museum

PIG BLADDER BALLS

Most early soccer balls were made from pig bladders! People would fill the bladders with straw, cork, feathers, or other materials. Because pig bladders were all different sizes, soccer ball sizes varied greatly.

PIG BLADDER BALLS

Early soccer balls were made from pig bladders! People filled them with straw, cork, or feathers. Pig bladders can be different sizes. That meant soccer balls were too.

Diameter = 8 inches

Surface Area:

Diameter = 8 inches

Surface Area:

1870s

Courtesy of National Football Museum

THE HARROW BALL

This ball was used at the oldest private school in England. Though the ball looks like a cylinder here, it's a sphere when fully inflated. Inside is a pig bladder, but the outside is covered with leather.

THE HARROW BALL

This ball was used at the oldest private school in England. It looks like a cylinder in this picture. But when it’s fully inflated, it's a sphere. The ball has a pig bladder on the inside. The outside is covered with leather.

Diameter = 11 inches

Surface Area:

Diameter = 11 inches

Surface Area:

1970

Albert Foss/Ullstein Bild via Getty Images

ADIDAS TELSTAR

The classic black-and-white ball debuted during the 1970 World Cup in Mexico City. It’s a truncated icosahedron, with 32 faces made up of black regular pentagons and white regular hexagons. Why those colors? So that people watching at home on their black-and-white TVs could follow the ball better!

ADIDAS TELSTAR

This black-and-white ball is a classic. It debuted at the 1970 World Cup in Mexico City. It’s a shape called a truncated icosahedron. Black pentagons and white hexagons cover its surface. There are 32 faces in all. Why those colors? Because people watching at home had black-and-white TVs. This made it easier for them to follow the ball!

All Sides = 1.8 inches | 20 Hexagons | 12 Pentagons

Surface Area:

All Sides = 1.8 inches | 20 Hexagons | 12 Pentagons

Surface Area:

2022

Courtesy of National Football Museum

AL RIHLA BALL

During the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, viewers could see real-time information about the ball’s movement on the field. High-tech sensors are suspended in the ball’s center. The sensors send data on its speed, spin, and distance traveled 500 times per second!

AL RIHLA BALL

This ball was used at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. It has high-tech sensors hidden inside it. The sensors track the ball’s speed, rotation, and distance traveled. Viewers at home could see this information in real time!