The Invention of the Modern Football

The football has been around for centuries; it dates back to prehistoric times. Prior to the 19th century, footballs were nothing more than animal bladders, usually pigs'. Though they were covered with leather to make them last longer, they were, most of the time, irregular. In 1836, however, Charles Goodyear patented vulcanized rubber. This was the first step in modern football.

In 1855, for the first time ever, Goodyear's vulcanized rubber was applied to the football. In 1862, one of the first inflatable rubber bladders for balls was developed by H.J. Lindon. In 1872, the football was mentioned in the actual rule book for the first time ever. Even in these rules, however, some differences were acceptable. For example, "...the ball must be spherical with an outer casing of leather or other approved materials. The circumference shall not be more than 28 in., nor less than 27 in, while the weight at the start of the game must not be more that 16 oz., nor less than 14 oz." (The Encyclopedia of Association Football, first published in England in 1956.)

In the 1900s, balls had stronger rubber bladders, which could withstand a lot of pressure. This made them easy to kick and easier to bounce. However, because the leather absorbed water, it was very difficult to head them, especially when it rained. Also, because of the way the stitching was done, and because of the undependability of the bladders, the balls had to be re-inflated quite a bit, even during games.

It took a while, but in 1960, the first completely synthetic football was manufactured. Still, it wasn't until 1980 that the synthetic ball completely replaced the leather ball. Today, a leather ball is very rare and extremely unusual, and we are more than happy with our synthetic footballs.