Adult balls are 27"- 28" diameter spheres, weighing 400-440g and filled to a pressure of 7kg per sq cm. All Scorpion Sports balls are official size and weight conforming to stringent international football standards and in humane conditions free from child labour.

Ball Construction
There are 4 main components to a Scorpion Sports Football.

1.The cover
2.The stiching
3.The linings
4.The bladder

1. The Cover
The surface of footballs are made of panels made from SYNTHETIC LEATHER. Match balls should be made of poly urethane (PU) and amateur league and trainer balls should be made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC). ALWAYS check what a ball is made of BEFORE you buy as many major manufacturers often label inferior quality balls with glamorous titles.

As a guide.
International and professional leagues ( eg premiership) - AI-2000, Japanese PU, Korean PU, Microfiber
Professional leagues / match balls - Pakistan PU, Indian PU
Amateur leagues / trainer balls - PVC
Promotional balls, mass produced supermarket type balls - usually moulded rubber

The segments that make up the cover of a ball are called PANELS. The most common type in professional leagues is termed a BUCKMINSTER ball and consists of 20 hexagons and 12 pentagons, comprising 32 panels in all.

The 26 panel design is also popular in some professional leagues in England, Scotland and Europe.

2. The Stitching and Linings
The panels can be stitched together. This can be...

Thermal moulding eg 2006 World Cup Teamgeist ball.
Hand stitching - Top end professional match balls (eg Premiership) should be stitched with FOUR or more polyester threads (4 PLY POLYESTER).

Slightly less strong seems can be achieved by using a combination of polyester and cotton threads to make up 4 layers (4PLY).

Please note: Many inferior quality balls have less than 4 PLY. If this is not explicitly stated then often the ball is only 2 or 3 ply making it much LESS DURABLE and CONSISTENT.

3. Machine stitched
Some manufacturers mass produce machine stitched panel balls. These balls are harder and less responsive but of reasonable durability for trainer balls.

4. Glued
Gluing the panels makes them hard and the ball less responsive still. These balls are lower-end practice balls but again, major manufacturers will often omit details of specification so CHECK !

Why does the lining matter ?
The THICKNESS and QUALITY of a ball is largely down to the layers of lining between the cover and bladder. Professional balls should have 4 or more layers (4PLY) to give strength, structure and bounce. The top end balls have more layers of polyester versus cotton.

The bladder
Professional balls should have air-retaining bladders made of PU, latex or butyl. These provide reliable surface tension, contact quality and air retention for longer. Some will have silicone treated valves.

Again, MANY mass market balls have natural rubber bladders of lower quality requiring frequent re-inflation.

Tip When you first buy a ball, lubricate your adapter with SILICONE OIL or place a few drops in the valve of the ball. This helps air retention better than water (or saliva - YUK !)

Final Assembly and Quality Control
All Scorpion Sports balls undergo quality control inspections at EVERY stage.

At assembly the 32 (usually) panels and bladder are given to the STITCHER. The stitcher sews the panels by hand using a set pattern. When the cover is sewed, the stitcher inserts the bladder and sews the final seams.

A worker then inflates the ball, weighs, measures and checks the ball meets stringent international standards,

The finished ball is then deflated again and packed.