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Ever wonder how a football is made? Thanks to our friends at Wilson USA, now you'll know! Read on....

THE MAKING OF A FOOTBALL

All Wilson footballs are hand made at the Wilson Football Factory in Ada, Ohio. At the Ada facility, Wilson manufactures well over one million footballs per year (about 5,000 per day), making it the largest producer of game footballs in the world. The following text illustrates the manufacturing process of the Wilson Official Super Bowl® Game Ball.

The Manufacturing Process

The manufacturing process of Wilson footballs involves approximately 50 steps from start to finish, with more than a dozen quality-control checks throughout production.

Cutting

Each football begins from a hide of water-resistant and specially tanned leather, from which four equal, football shaped panels are cut. Because no two cowhides are identical, each set of four panels must be trimmed to a uniform thickness and weight to meet official specifications. One panel is then stamped with the official Super Bowl and Wilson logos, while a second panel is stamped with the Wilson logo as well as the date and location of the game and the names of the participating teams.

Stamping

The construction of the Super Bowl Game Ball is identical to the Wilson Official NFL™Game Ball. The differences in the manufacturing process occur with the stamping of the panels. In place of the traditional NFL logo used on the game balls during the regular season and the playoffs, the footballs used during the Super Bowl feature the official Super Bowl logo as well as the date and location of the game and the participating teams. Wilson has made the official game ball for all 37 Super Bowls.

Sewing and Stitching

A three-ply synthetic lining material is sewn into the underside of each panel to help the ball retain its shape and to protect the ball's bladder.

Two panels are then hole-punched, to allow for lacing, and then reinforced with a smaller lining to protect the bladder opening and valve ring (where a needle is inserted for inflation). Next the panels are sewn together inside-out on a heavy-duty lockstitch sewing machine.

Turning the Footballs

The next stage of manufacturing features the greatest test of strength and dexterity. There are 21 men at the factory who perform the difficult task of turning the footballs right side out (a task that has been likened to "turning a sneaker inside out") to prepare the ball for the insertion of the valve-type bladders.

To aid in his task, each turner's work station is equipped with a steam box to warm and soften the leather as well as a vertical steel bar to provide leverage during the turning.

Bladder Insertion and Lacing

After the ball has been turned right side out, a polyurethane bladder is inserted through the opening in the lace area and the ball is pre-laced with a heavy linen thread. The NFL™ footballs then undergo an additional step before lacing -- pre-molding. During the pre-molding process, each football is inflated with 80 pounds of air pressure to stretch both the linings and leather, straighten the seams, and to identify any potential bladder problems. After a partial deflating, the balls are ready to be laced.

Because NFL™ footballs must be durable, each ball is double laced with a grid cord material that won't tear or crack under even the most adverse weather conditions. Like turning, lacing is an accomplished skill and only the most experienced lacers handle the NFL™ footballs.

Following re-inflation, the balls are subjected to a final series of stringent quality-control checks.

Final Checks

During the final inspection stage, each ball must meet quality standards in appearance, stitching, length, width, shape, weight, and end seams.

At this point, the balls are partially deflated to take the strain off of the seams. They are then placed in unsealed plastic bags to prevent condensation from forming on the leather due to changes in temperature and humidity. The balls are now ready to be shipped out.