David Goldblatt’s global history of Association Football is called The Ball is Round (2006), a title which captures the significance of the ball itself at the heart of the game. Association Football is differentiated from other football games (like Rugby Football or American Football) by two things: you are not allowed to handle the ball (unless you are the goalkeeper) and footballs are spherical. The simplicity of this format, where balls can be a bound collection of rags or made from leather or plastic, allowed people to play the game with relative ease, which goes some way to explaining the success of the sport. The ease of playing also helped the interaction between spectators and players.
Early balls were made from animal parts. As early as the 5th century BCE in China, there is evidence of a stitched leather ball with possibly fur, feathers or hemp used as a filling. By medieval times, other materials were used, including cork shavings, or inflated pig and other animal bladders. In 1838, Charles Goodyear patented vulcanised rubber, which allowed greater elasticity and strength. Soon, the first rubber balls were manufactured, leading to a better bounce and control of the ball’s dimensions. The leather surround was stitched and usually made of 18 panels.
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