Adidas's New Soccer Ball for the World Cup...Great Info..

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World Cup Kicks Off With Rounder, High-Tech Ball

James Owen
for National Geographic News

Named +Teamgeist, German for "team spirit," the soccer ball features a radical new design that sports just 14 panels—the first departure from the iconic 32-panel ball that's been used in the World Cup for the past 36 years.<!--- deckend --->
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Tournament officials say the ball will lead to more goals, providing extra excitement for the World Cup's billions of spectators (read famous fans' musing on soccer in National Geographic magazine).
Some star players have endorsed the new design, including England's captain, David Beckham, known for his trademark swerving shots when shooting a goal.
"It goes where you want it to go, and that's important," the Adidas-sponsored player said in a press release.
But some players and sports scientists aren't so sure about how the new ball is going to perform.
Critics say the ball is too light and aerodynamic, and it may behave unpredictably and create problems for goalkeepers.
Goalkeeper Concerns
The most common soccer ball design—originated by an Adidas model called Telstar—was introduced at the 1970 World Cup in Mexico. It is made up of 20 white hexagons and 12 black pentagons stitched together into a sphere.
As well as using fewer panels, Adidas dispensed with any stitching for +Teamgeist, instead using a heating and gluing process to create a watertight seal. The manufacturer says this new feature gives the ball the same feel whatever the playing conditions, rain or shine.

 

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Personalized Match Ball for every game of FIFA World Cup ™
The adidas +Teamgeist™ Berlin, the Match Ball especially produced for the final game in Berlin on July 9th, was officially unveiled by the President of the Organizing Committee, Franz Beckenbauer at the Brandenburger Gate in Berlin. The golden adidas +Teamgeist™ Berlin will only be used in one game, the single most important game in global football, the FIFA World Cup™ final.´
“The FIFA World Cup final is the most important match in the history of sport. There really is no greater thing than to play in a World Cup final. That is why I think it is a fantastic idea to have a very special ball especially for this match,” said Franz Beckenbauer President of the FIFA World Cup™ Organizing Committee: “Sure, the ball will still be round, no change there. But it will be a very special game and it is going to be played with a golden match ball that was especially designed for it. I think that's absolutely fantastic!”
This special Match Ball design is similar to the adidas +Teamgeist™ but executed in gold, the color of the FIFA World Cup™ trophy, with black and white details. Its name, “+Teamgeist Berlin”, is not only based on the single most decisive characteristic every team needs to have in order to lift the trophy, team spirit, but also on the German capital where the final will be played. The adidas Golden Ball is already a well-known element in the world of football, because it is the name of the official FIFA trophy awarded to the best player of the FIFA World Cup™ tournament.
In addition, for the first time ever, each of the match balls for the FIFA World Cup™ will be personalized with the name of the stadium, the teams, the match date and the kick-off time of each individual game. adidas will supply FIFA with 15 personalized match balls for each match. Earlier this year, each of the 32 qualified federations received a shipment of 20 match balls for training purposes. All teams will receive a second shipment with 20 balls when they start their final preparation. In addition to the 40 regular match balls they will also be supplied with 20 +Teamgeist™ Berlin match balls so that each of the teams can already start preparing for the FIFA World Cup final now! This delivery will bring the grand total of adidas match balls supplied to FIFA and the participating federations to 2,880.

In total adidas expects to sell well over 10 million FIFA World Cup™ match balls. adidas first began the production of footballs in 1963 and is the world’s leading manufacturer, always at the cutting edge of technology and design. adidas has supplied the Match Balls to all major UEFA and FIFA tournaments since 1970 and will also be the Official Partner and Ball Supplier of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cup™.

The ball is produced by technology so advanced the German sportswear giant assured the performance is "unprecedented."
The ball should please the home team. Adidas said in a statement it produced Teamgeist "as a tribute to host Germany's greatest football moments and its traditional uniforms."

Even the name refers to a German trait: Teamgeist means team spirit, something the Germans have long thrived on instead of individual brilliance.
Adidas indicates "The fine gold accents along the rounded propellers are inspired by the golden FIFA World Cup<SUP>ä</SUP> Trophy. The revolutionary new panel shape is designed to minimize corners and to create a more homogenous system in terms of performance and look. The radiant lines of the graphics surrounding the propeller shape symbolize movement and energy. Thanks to adidas innovation team designer Scott Tomlinson from England and German category designer Anatol Just, +Teamgeist<SUP>ä</SUP> combines everything needed to become a state-of-the-art product."

Circumference: The FIFA Approved Standard: 68.5 cm – 69.5 cm. The adidas +Teamgeist: 69.0 cm – 69.25 cm​

Diameter: FIFA Approved Standard: max. 1.5% difference The adidas +Teamgeist: max. 1.0% difference​

Water Absorption: FIFA Approved Standard: no more than 10% weight increase. The adidas +Teamgeist: Water absorption: no more than 0,1 % weight increase​

Weight: FIFA Approved Standard: Weight between 420 and 445 grams The adidas +Teamgeist: Weight between 441 and 444 grams​

Shape and Size Retention: FIFA Approved Standard: 2,000 cycles at 50 km per hour. The adidas +Teamgeist: 3,500 cycles at 50 km per hour.​

Rebound Test: FIFA Approved Standard: No more than 10 cm. The adidas +Teamgeist: No more than 2 cm.​

Loss of Pressure: FIFA Approved Standard: Loss of pressure max. 20% The adidas +Teamgeist: Loss of pressure max. 11%.​

Drum Test by Adidas: The drum test was developed by adidas to guarantee high quality and durability of the printed surface, the unique design and look of the ball. The adidas +Teamgeist is the first ball ever to feature a complete underglass print technology, providing the +Teamgeist with the best and strongest surface material ever and guaranteeing the ball is more durable and will hold its unique look much longer.​

Overview:​

New panel shape and carcass construction of the +TEAMGEIST leads to:
Increased precision for straight and curved shots: With the +TEAMGEIST, every pass, every shot, every dribble, is as consistently accurate, powerful and fast as the last.
Improved all weather performance for consistent play in any condition.

• Revolutionary Panel Shape: eliminates surface irregularities to create a perfectly round ball for greater accuracy
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• New Carcass: improves accuracy and power​
• Complete Underglass Print: significantly decreases abrasion of design​
• Thermal Bonding: seamless panels create a smooth, consistent kicking surface​

Will not include the embedded circuitry to alert referees when it has crossed the goal-line.​

 

[JackDee]

"Will not include the embedded circuitry to alert referees when it has crossed the goal-line."

could have come in handy in the argentina game, but I myself i am not too keen on the hi tec shit, spoils the real stuff. Sad to see this technological miracle going to waste on such teams and England and Paraguay