Looking at the finished product of anything is always pretty cool, but we really like to know how our favourite football equipment came into being – where do the hours of development go? How do they keep making products better? And so on…
Well, the guys at Nike are obviously pretty pleased with the new T90 Tracer Football, as they’ve given us this brand new video, showcasing the new features of this year’s official match ball for the Premier League, La Liga & Serie A.
But not only that, the video also gives us a glimpse into how they go about testing & designing the football. In this video, you can check out the ball being cannoned across the testing facility, shot into targets and even see how they design the graphics on the new T90 Tracer football!
We think it’s pretty nifty – and even if you’re not going to shell out the £85 on the new T90 Tracer, you’ll definitely be impressed at the development that goes into it!
Here’s some of the features that Nike say make this ball the best in the World:
Consistency
Extensive laboratory tests have found the T90 Tracer Football is more likely to hit its target than any other ball in the world.
The ball˘ micro-textured casing regulates airflow equally across its entire surface, giving it a more direct, arrow-like flight.
Testing at the Nike Advanced Innovation Lab found that on average, the T90 Tracer Football travels 6.8 meters further than the major competitor ball meaning players expend less energy kicking the ball greater distances.
Testing shows that the T90 Tracer Football consistently hits a 3-foot in diameter bulls-eye while the leading competitive ball hits a bulls-eye approximately 6-feet in diameter, showing the T90 Tracer is twice as consistent as the competition.
Touch
The unique 5-layer casing and construction of the T90 Tracer Football makes the ball easier to control for all players.
The Geo II configuration of the ball˘ 32 panels gives it a 360-degree sweet spot by evenly distributing pressure across the ball.
The 6-wing carbon latex air chamber provides the ball with its explosive acceleration on the ground or in the air.
The ball is incredibly durable and has a 2-year shape guarantee.
Control
The engineered rubber response layer provides greater control of the ball as it absorbs and stores the energy of a pass or shot on impact before releasing it when it is moved on again.
The cross-linked nitrogen expanded foam ensures a consistent feel of the ball whatever the weather.
Visual Acuity
The T90 Tracer Football a colorful graphic scientifically proven to help players see and respond quickly to the ball better than ever before.
The high-contrast asymmetrical graphic generates a strong visual signal, which catches the peripheral vision and focuses the central vision quicker than any other ball.
i am wondering who benefits more with the football , goalies or the outfield players. also why is it the football developers want to update footballs when the previous 1s have performed well. as long as the ball is round, waterproof and weighs to fifa satisfaction why use technology. it makes me appreciate the likes of maradonna , van basten , pele, best, charlton and cryuff where technology was not there to enhance their game, same goes for football boots. nice ball though lol
who would benefit? the makers of course when prices for each of these ball can buy you a decent soccer boot =)
but i have to agree with harry, just as long as its round, waterproof (very impt!!), weighs per fifa standard, its good enough.
Yeah they actually seem to know the science of aero dynamics, unlike this adidas crap
Once again Adidas is outdone in many ways. Like how the Anodize is an ugly shoe, but no one cares if it is the lightest. But its not, the v1.10 sl defeated it. for a while the Jabulani was cool because it had no stitching but it is just a piece of junk. Now Nike beats them because the know what their doing which proves once again the incompetence of Adidas.
Sorry Adizero not Anodize I have automatic spell check
lol its funny how ppl mention about how Nike or adidas has better balls. reality of the game is simple. each company has contracts for different for EPL, world cup, Champions League etc. my humble opinion, ball preference are really just personal preference.
i feel if footy boot actually did a “test” on all these pricey soccer balls and come up with results, the results wont vary by much.
as harry hill would say ..nike ball or adidas ball………theres only one way to find out………………lol
I’m sorry but is it just me does this ball have pretty much EXACTLY the same tech specs as the Ascente? All they’ve done is dress it up in different colours and called it comething new.
Now i respect fellow poster’s opinions but some people need to be a bit less “brand-biased” and do a little research before posting their nonsense. e.g. @ Adipurity: the Teamgeist was the first ball to incorporate thermal bonding between panels to create a seamless surface and the Jabulani brought a whole host of new ball-related technologies to the table such as the Grip’n’Groove profiling and the individually, spherically-moulded panels to name some.
@adipurity the jabulani wasn’t the first ball to have no stitching. the teamgeist (06 world cup ball) was also thermally bonded. and anyone will tell u that the adizero is better then the puma v.10 sl. the stud config. on the v1.10 is terrible. and the boot doesn’t even have asymmetrical lacing. who cares if its 0.4 ounces less than the adizero if the adizero preforms better?
I was watching the arsenal reserves team play, and they were all training with this ball before the match, the ball came out to me, it wasnt out of the pitch, but against the barrier i was behind watching from, so i thought i could bend over and get the ball, it was effort because im small but i did it and gavin hoyte came over to take the ball off of me 🙂 but rolling the ball upwards with my fingers made me realise how different the ball felt, not just padding, but general texture, the scenario may seem small but to most people, but to me it was immense!!!