Change of pace here. I go to practice and kids bring their own ballls sometimes. Some of the balls just "feel" lighter. Some of the balls seem "springier". And it shows up when suddenly the ball is flying around a bit more than usual. Aside from having the ball properly inflated, are there any other standards on soccer balls for youth soccer in terms of material? Is there some sort of "official" stamp I should be looking for on soccer balls to deem them legit - akin to what they do for baseball bats?
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you get what you pay for. Unless you are in a top group, it really doesn't matter much, but there is a reason some cost $20 and some cost $300 -
Up until about U14 we only bought the cheap ones. When the club wanted my kid to bring her own ball but then there was 5 teams on field and kids kicking and losing them, we stuck with the cheap ones and kept a nicer (eg $60+) ball at home.Comment
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Agree that this is age-dependent and also your training environment - you don't want to invest in a good product and then lose balls at training. I'm an Adidas guy, so a bit biased here, but for training I like their Competition level balls, they have a better exterior than the Training/League level balls and they are still soft even when fully (overly?) inflated. They also have a 2 year guarantee - so if they start to pull apart (and last years Champions League model had problems), Adidas replaced with no questions.
However, I'm on a single field with three in club teams and we all have different colors so we don't lose balls. And, I'm a stickler for counting the balls multiple times during training (I have 30).Comment
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As noted really age dependent. There are several types of soccer balls and the true standard ball doesn't come into play until the older ages/post u-little Training balls are cheaper for a reason and can vary greatly from a base level standards point of view. Have your kids do some shooting drills with an indoor ball/futsal ball (akin to a light medicine ball-lol) they don't bounce. Do not use these for any type of heading drills-:) Then have them do the same drills with their regular ball.Originally posted by Guest View Post
there are FIFA standards-
Soccer Ball Technical Requirements
The regulations of official FIFA ball marks changed on the 31st of July 2017. They apply to matches played in any official competition organized under the auspices of FIFA or confederations.
As a result, all football balls must now bear one of the following FIFA quality marks:- FIFA Quality PRO
- FIFA Quality
- IMS - INTERNATIONAL MATCH STANDARD
FIFA Law 2 [The Ball] stipulates the minimum standards on football ball specifications. The registered mark is a sign of official testing. It indicates that balls meet the specific technical requirements for that particular mark of quality.
Furthermore, the International Football Association Board (IFAB) must also approve the ball markings. Institutes that conduct the tests are also subject to the express approval of FIFA.
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Always assume you'll lose at least one ball per season and base what you spend on one accordinglyComment
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What's a ref going to do if I show up to u10 or younger game with soccer balls bought from FiveBelow?Comment
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Some balls are just made with better material and padding. Really expensive match balls will feel a lot different than a typical 10 for $80 training ball.Originally posted by Guest View PostComment
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Aside from disqualifying the team? Isn't having a certain ball for games a requirement for the home team in every league?Originally posted by Guest View PostComment
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There are balls more conducive to kick and run vs possession based play.Comment
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Always comes back to MFAComment
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