The Nike Total 90 Aerow, the adidas Tango, the iconic star-covered Champions League ball, the swerving adidas Jabulani from the 2010 World Cup. The list goes on… Any self-respecting football fan has their favourite football from over the years for varying reasons.
But that’s all ancient history. It’s time for the next generation of footballs to take centre stage and there are some absolute gems available this season.
With grassroots football edging a little closer to it’s return, we know a lot of you will be thinking of what you or your club need for this coming season. You can’t play football without a football. So let’s take a look at some of the match and training footballs that will be rippling a net on a grassroots pitch near you soon…
Training Balls
The only way to improve your game is to train, train, train. And there’s no point training with rubbish footballs. So it’s a good thing that Nike, adidas and Puma all have prime examples of everything a training ball should be.
Starting with Nike’s offering then. We know that price is important when it comes to training balls because most clubs tend to need a lot of them. The Nike Pitch Team training ball is one of the best value footballs on the market. Coming in at just £8.91 each on Kitlocker.com. Don’t be fooled by the price though. This ball does not compromise on quality. It is well designed, highly durable and it’s high contrast graphic makes it easier to spot as it flies through the air. Available in 5 colours, size 3-5.
Now for the guys with the three stripes. adidas have an equally great value training ball in the Tiro Club Ball. Possibly the nicest to look at of all of our training balls, with it’s clean and classic look you’ll feel like you’re training with a much more premium ball. It’s not all about the looks though, the Tiro Club Ball is perfectly engineered, as you would always expect from adidas. 4 vibrant colours, size 3-5.
Oh you didn’t hear? We do Puma now. And they have yet another great value training football. Pitch, park or playground, the Puma Final 6 is a terrific entry level training ball and the cheapest from our “big 3” brands.
Match Balls
Now there’s no point training hard all week with a top quality training football, only to take to the field on a weekend and kick around a sorry excuse for a match ball. A decent match ball should be a top priority for any grassroots club. Here are a few of the best…
You’ll definitely have seen images floating around social media over the last few weeks of the new Nike Premier League football. Nike have devoted 8 years’ worth of research, development and testing to the new Nike Flight ball which apparently offers 30% truer flight than any of it’s predecessors. Bad news for knuckle-ball aficionados. It’s design has split opinion somewhat, with some describing it as looking like a giant golf ball. To be honest it does a bit, but we still love it.
As ever with Nike’s match balls there are pricing tiers which make the ball accessible for clubs of all sizes and resources. You’ve got the top tier Nike Flight Football for those looking for ultimate performance, the mid-tier Nike Club Match and the most affordable Nike Strike. Whichever price bracket you go for, you’re guaranteed a high quality match ball.
Now, adidas have been the official match ball supplier of the FIFA World Cup since all the way back in 1970 and the Champions League since 2001. So it’s safe to say when it comes to making match balls, they know what they’re doing.
With such prestige when it comes to match balls you might be surprised to hear that adidas offer probably our best value and affordable ball. They have poured all their expertise into the Tiro Match Ball to create a high standard match ball which is financially accessible, even to those at the bottom of the footballing pyramid.
Shop Now!
Well there you go. Some of the finest match and training balls on the market. You never know, one of them might be a future classic. But if none of those tickle your fancy then we have got loads more in stock and ready to go. Have a look through the full range in our dedicated footballs section of the site, all with massive discounts off RRP. Ideal for those working on grassroots budgets!