In 1836 Charles Goodyear patented vulcanized rubber. Prior to this, balls were dependant on the size and shape of the pig's bladder. The more irregular the bladder, the more unpredictable the behavior of the ball was when kicked. However ; it would not be until the twentieth century until most balls were made with rubber bladders.
In 1855, Charles Goodyear designed and built the first vulcanized rubber soccer balls (footballs).
In the 1862, H.J. Lindon developed one of the first
inflatable rubber bladders for balls. Tragically his wife
previously died from lung disease. Reportedly from
blowing up many hundreds of pig's bladders. Lindon
was probably inspired to develop the inflatable rubber
bladder because of the ill effects of blowing up pig's
bladders. The balls with the rubber bladders ensured
that the ball remained hard and oval.
In 1863 the newly formed English Football Association met to hammer out the laws of the game. No description of the ball was offered in the first set of rules. When the rules were revised in 1872 it was agreed that the ball " must be spherical with a circumference of 27 to 28 inches" (68.6 cm to 71.1 cm). That rule remains in today's FIFA laws.
That rule remains in today's FIFA laws. Very little has ever been written about the ball, probably because it has remained very much the same over the years.
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."
Mass production of soccer balls started as a direct consequence of the English Football League that was founded in 1888. Mitre and Thomlinson's of Glasgow were two of the first companies to mass produce soccer balls during that time. They touted that the key element in a quality football was how well it could retain it's shape. Strength of the leather and the skills of the cutters and stitchers were the main factors in producing a football that would retain it's shape. The top grade covers were made with leather from the rump of a cow while lower quality balls were made from the shoulder.
By the 1900's bladders were made with stronger rubber and could withstand heavier pressure. Most balls produced by that time used rubber bladders. The balls were made from inner tubes covered with heavy brown leather. These balls would bounce easier and yet could be kicked.
Most balls had a tanned leather cover with eighteen
sections stitched together arranged in six panels of three
strips each. Each section was stitched together by
hand with five-ply hemp and a small lace-up slit was
on one side. All of the stitching was done with the ball
cover inside out. Once completed, the cover was
reversed with the stitching on the inside. An un-inflated
bladder was then inserted through the slit. A long stem
neck (aperture) extending from the bladder was used to
inflate the ball. Once inflated, the tube was inserted through the 15 cm slit and then the opening was laced up tight. You can imagine how often that these soccer balls had to re-inflated. Even during a game.
These balls were good for kicking but was painful when heading due to the heavy stitching and the water absorption characteristics of the leather. Water absorption of the leather during rain made the ball very heavy and caused many head injuries. Other problems of the old leather balls were the various quality of cowhides used. Footballs varied in thickness and quality and the leather often degraded during the match.
The soccer ball may have even played a part in the outcome of the first world cup in 1930. Argentina and Uruguay could not agree on which ball to use. So they decided to use an Argentinean ball the first half and a ball supplied by Uruguay in the second half. As it turned out, Argentina was ahead at halftime 2-1using their soccer ball. However; Uruguay came back to win the match in the second half 4-2 using their ball!
During World War II there were further production enhancements. The addition of a carcass made of strong cloths between the bladder and outer cover made controlling the shape easier, provided damping, and made the ball stronger. However ; soccer balls played a crucial role in the outcome of matches due to the ball actually bursting during a game. The reason for the low quality balls just after World War II was blamed on the poor quality of the leather covers.
Water absorption was improved by using synthetic paints
and other non-porous materials to coat the leather. Also,
a new type of valve was invented that eliminated the
laced slit on soccer balls.
In 1951 a white ball was first permitted to help spectators
see the ball easier with the advent of floodlights. White
soccer balls were un-officially used as early as 1892.
The leather was simply white washed to produce the
white ball. Orange balls were also first introduced in the
1950's to help see the ball in the snow.
Different countries favored different types of soccer balls in the early days of international soccer. This caused much controversy. FIFA standardized the size, weight and type of balls with the introduction of an international board.