adidas JABULANI Match Ball

JABULANI, the official match ball of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ will celebrate its official TV debut in a few hours during the World Cup draw ceremony in Cape Town, South Africa.

The name “JABULANI” originates from the indigenous language isiZulu, one of the eleven official languages of the Republic of South Africa, which is spoken by almost 25% of the population. Literally translated, “JABULANI” means “to celebrate”.

And with the highlight of the World Cup ready to meet the world, we want to give you all the information on JABULANI’s design, the new technologies it offers and the testing procedures it had to endure before it was able to become an official adidas match ball (and “FIFA approved”…).

Let the celebration begin!

P.S.: Enjoy the World Cup draw show and good luck for your team!

 

It's all about "11"
		JABULANI, the 11th adidas World Cup ball features11 colors representing the 11 players in every team, the 11 official languages of South Africa and the 11 South African communities that make the country one of the most ethnologically diverse countries on the African continent. The colorful design brings together the tremendous diversity of the country. Four triangle-shaped design elements on a white background lend the ball a unique appearance in African spirit. And like the outer facade of Johannesburg’s Soccer City Stadium, individual design elements also capture the colorfulness of South Africa.

 

Grip'n'Groove
		Aero grooves: Aero grooves create the clearly visible profile on JABULANI’s surface. The Grip’n’Groove profile circles around the entire ball in an optimal aerodynamic way. The integrated grooves provide unmatched flight characteristics, making this the most stable and most accurate adidas ball ever. The ground-breaking performance features of JABULANI have been confirmed in comprehensive comparison tests at Loughborough University in England and countless checks in the wind tunnel and the adidas football laboratory in Scheinfeld, Germany. Grip: Since the introduction of the “goose bumps” surface for the last European Championship ball, the micro texture of the new ball's outer skin has also been given a visible facelift. JABULANI has a futuristic texture with fantastic grip, giving players full control over the ball under all weather conditions. 3D Panel Shape: The match ball for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ features a completely new, ground-breaking technology. Comprising only eight, completely new thermally bonded 3-D panels, which for the first time are spherically moulded, the ball is perfectly round and even more accurate than ever before.

 

Exceeding Expectations
		The adidas Innovation Team (ait.) rigorously tested JABULANI first under the toughest laboratory conditions possible, later also with professional players and clubs on the field of play. Scientific tests were conducted together with the Sports Technology Research Group of the University of Loughborough, one of the leading institutions of its kind worldwide. These tests confirmed that JABULANI is more round and has a more stable flight than any key competitor top match ball. FIFA designed a quality concept to guarantee the highest standard of balls for the best players in the world. Only after a series of stringent tests is a ball awarded the “FIFA Approved” hallmark. Tests executed in the adidas football laboratory in Scheinfeld and at the Testing Centre of the University of Loughborough proved that JABULANI does not only meet these “FIFA Approved” standards but it exceeds practically each of them.