How are soccer Balls made

1. The Bladder and Lining

   • Inside a soccer ball is something called a bladder, which holds air. Bladders are made from either butyl or latex, depending on the quality of the soccer ball. The highest quality balls have butyl bladders, which are more expensive than latex but hold air longer. To make the bladder, the butyl or latex is carefully heated, then poured into a mold. Once cool, the round, flat bladder is removed and set aside.
     
     The bladder is surrounded by layers of lining. These layers are composed of either polyester or sheets of laminated cotton. There may be up to four layers in one soccer ball. The more layers there are, the higher the ball will bounce. The most expensive balls have at least four layers and sometimes more. The layers of lining are attached to the outer cover of the ball.

   The Outer Cover

   • The outside of soccer balls, or outer cover, are made from either rubber or synthetic leather. Professional balls are made with synthetic leather, while practice balls are usually rubber. Some indoor balls have covers made from a material that consists of several thin layers of laminated felt.
     The cover material is stitched to the layers, then the whole thing is sent to a machine, which cuts out the individual panels, (36 is standard) along with convenient stitch holes. If the ball has graphics, the machine adds those to the sheets of fabric before it is cut.
     Finally, the panels are sewn or glued together. The highest grade balls are hand-stitched with a special cord consisting of five polyester lines twisted together. Medium grade balls are stitched together with machines, while the most inexpensive balls are glued together.

   Coming Together

   • The panels are sewn together with the ball turned inside out. The round bladder, taken from the mold and cooled off, is also sewn together into a sphere and partially inflated. Once the panels are almost complete, the ball is turned right side out, and the bladder is stuffed into the ball. The remaining panels are sewn closed around the inflating spot, and the bladder is inflated. These final steps are all done by hand, and an experienced ball maker can sew, on average, three or four soccer balls per day.