The Premier League is regarded as the most competitive league in the world and it has the best selection of Premier League balls. Such a league would naturally use the best soccer balls that you can ever imagine. Hence, the Premier League ball is worth talking about as much as we talk about the players kicking the ball for over 90 minutes in every game.
Recall that the English Premier League used to be called the First Division of the Football League and has remained the elite league in England since 1888 to date.
The name of the league changed from Football League to the Premier League in 1992. From 1888 to date, Manchester United remain the most successful club in the league, winning 20 of the league title.
Even after the Football Association (FA) agreed to change the name of the league from the First Division of the Football League to the Premier League, Manchester United remains the most successful team in the new era.
In terms of the club with the highest number of season appearance in the league, Everton have the record for the highest number of season appearances (116 seasons) between 1888 and 2022.
Official Premier League Ball
Since the English Premier League changed its name from the First Division of the Football League to the Premier League, American sportswear manufacturing company, Nike, has been producing the Premier League soccer balls.
Every season, Nike is expected to introduce a new set of soccer balls that will be used throughout the season. The new soccer balls are always expected to bring pinnacle performance and innovation to the pitch.
In the 2021-2022 season, the league saw the reemergence of Nike Flight which was first introduced in the 2020-2021 season.
The Nike Flight soccer ball comes with bigger grooves and has a better tendency of disrupting airflow across the ball which prevents drag and enforced more stable flight. Experts believe that the Nike flight has a 30 percent truer flight than the previous soccer balls used in the league.
Nike Fight Third ball
After most of the clubs in the 2021-2022 season had played their 29th game of the season, Nike decided to introduce Nike Flight Third ball.
The new soccer ball is for the final phase of the Premier League challenge which is designed with a change in weather and temperature in mind. Recall that the season started in Winter when the weather was cooler.
The season is expected to end in Spring which means the temperature will be hotter, hence, the technology that was used to produce the third ball put the weather condition into consideration.
Aside from the weather, the third ball also comes with the image of the Premier League title and circles across the ball’s surface, which drive enhanced visual performance, letting players read the pace and spin of the ball better.
Those contending for the 2021-2022 Premier League title (majorly Manchester City and Liverpool), those contending for a top-four finish, and those battling to survive relegation, are expected to use the Nike Fight Third ball to achieve their goals.
Clubs in the league started using the new Premier League ball on Saturday, April 2, 2022. The first match the third ball was used in was the Premier League game between Manchester United and Leicester City which ended in a 1-1 draw.
What Size Ball Does Premier League Use?
The Premier League ball is officially size five which is the standard size for soccer balls in all professional leagues and football tournaments across the world.
This means that a Premier League official football has a circumference of 68–70 centimeters and a weight between 410–450 grams. For a soccer ball to attain a size five status, it must be inflated to a pressure of 0.6 and 1.1 bars at sea level.
The size five soccer ball can be played by players as old as 15 and above. People who are below 15 are advised to play with smaller soccer balls (size one to four).
Since the Premier League uses Nike soccer balls, all Nike Premier League balls are always size five especially the Premier League match ball.
The 22 years of the evolution of the Premier League Ball
- 1992-95 – Mitre Pro Max
When the English league changed its name from Football League to the Premier League, the first soccer ball Nike produced for the league was known as Mitre Pro Max. The league used the ball from 1992 to 1995.
- 1995-2000 – Mitre Ultimax
In the 1995-1996 Premier League season, Nike introduced the Mitre Ultimax which the league used until 2000.
- 2000-2004- Nike Geo Merlin and Geo Merlin Vapor
From 2000 to 2002, Nike introduced the Nike Geo Merlin. While from 2002 to 2004, Geo Merlin Vapor took the center stage in the Premier League.
- 2004-2006 – Nike Total 90 Aerow
Between 2004 and 2006, Nike introduced the Nike Total 90 Aerow.
- 2006-2008 – Nike Total 90 Arrow II
- 2008-2009 – Nike Total 90 Omni
- 2009-2010 – Nike Total 90 Ascent
- 2010-2011 – Nike Total 90 Tracer
- 2011-2012 – Nike Sector
- 2012-2013 – Nike Maxim
- 2013-2014 – Nike Incyte
- 2014-2015 – Nike Ordem 2
- 2015-2016 – Nike Ordem 3
- 2016-2017 – Nike Ordem 4
- 2017-2018 – Nike Ordem V
- 2018-2019 – Nike Merlin
- 2019-2020 – the latest Nike Merlin
18. 2020-2022 – Nike Flight
.@Nike‘s new soccer ball increases flight accuracy by 30%. pic.twitter.com/XmoSgpRcmD
— Digital Trends (@DigitalTrends) July 1, 2020
Prices of the Premier League Official Ball, where to find them
To buy the Premier League official ball for previous seasons, you can visit the eBay marketplace. You can spend between £12.95 to £124.95 to get an official Premier League ball.
Also, the Premier League official ball is available on Nike’s official website, especially the new football.
At the time of publishing this report, the Flight third ball cost £124.95 on the Nike website. It is currently the most expensive Premier League official football on the online store.
The cheapest Premier League ball on the Nike website is the Premier League Skills third ball which is cost just £12.95. To buy the Premier League Strike third ball, you will have to pay just £24.95 on Nike’s official website.
How much does a signed ball cost?
The cost of a signed ball can not be generalized. The value of a signed soccer ball is relatively connected to the value of the person that signed the ball.
For instance, a signed Cristiano Ronaldo ball cost around £200 on eBay. While other signed balls cost as low as 14 pounds.
You can buy a signed soccer ball on majorly eBay, Amazon, and other online stores.
