The Indestructible Soccer Ball

Remember when you were a kid, and you punctured the football you were playing with? I do. In fact I have one very vivid memory of a typically wayward Daryl shot at goal that rolled off the field and into heavy traffic at the bottom of a busy road called Drews Holloway. The oncoming car rolled over the ball in slo-mo, causing not so much a pop as an explosion. Football was over for the day, but I knew there were more footballs at home in the shed and that the parents would very likely buy me another one if I asked nicely enough.

Now imagine that same ball under car situation except it’s the only ball you have. There are no more footballs at home, and your parents either can’t afford or don’t have access to another. Also you live in either an impoverished and/or war-torn country or refugee camp and playing football is one of the few things in your young life that isn’t completely terrible.

Not good. Which is why the people at One World Futbol have invented a near indestructible soccer ball.

Here’s an interview with inventor Tim Jahnigen, explaining the ball:

And here’s what happens when this ball goes under a truck:

According to Matt Dodson, who contacted me a couple of weeks ago to spread the word about the ball:

One World Futbol Project (OWFP), a socially-responsible business, is making it possible for anyone, anywhere to play soccer with a ball that matches the endurance of the sport. Through the financial backing and support of world-renowned entertainer Sting, OWFP has created the world’s most durable soccer ball, one that never deflates, will play even when punctured, and can be played in the harshest of environments. It even survived a round in the lion’s pen at the Johannesburg Zoo.

For the record, The Offside does not recommend playing football in the lion’s pen at Johannesburg Zoo. The OWF may be durable. Your limbs are not.

The business model here is “Buy One, Give One, which (if I understand correctly) means that when you buy a One World Futbol, the organization will then give one away to somewhere that needs it. So basically you’re buying one for your own use, and simultaneously donating another.

If you’re interested in innovative and life-enhancing soccer ball designs, you might also want to read our post about the sOccket ball

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Category: World Football