Just when we thought the football market had seen it all, along comes Nike and turns everything we thought we knew on its head. At first glance, you might think that this new model hasn’t changed in terms of technical specifications, and that Nike has simply opted to change the ball’s panels – but you’d be very much mistaken. If the American brand Nike stands out for one thing, amongst many others, it is for its football kit and its habit of constantly breaking with convention.
Ball Flight 2020-2021 White-Black
€134.99
Nike Flight ball - The football of the future
On the surface, as we’ve mentioned, it looks like just a standard football, but nothing could be further from the truth; in fact, the new Nike Flight could well be the most technologically advanced football of recent times. Every football has an unpredictable flight path due to a variety of aerodynamic factors. For example, if a ball is completely smooth, it catches the air, creating a significant wake and causing frequent changes in its direction and trajectory. These changes can prove problematic for long passes that fail to follow the desired trajectory or shots that veer off target.
The Nike Flight tackles issues of inconsistent aerodynamics through a revolutionary ball design. By incorporating Nike’s new AerowSculpt technology, the ball offers a measurable 30 per cent improvement in flight performance compared to its predecessor, the Nike Merlin.
Nike’s new ball features the brand’s signature All Conditions Control (ACC) technology, which ensures optimal touch and control in all weather conditions – a welcome feature, particularly from October/November onwards. Altitude across the country does not significantly affect the game or the ball’s flight, but Nike has chosen to emphasise this aspect. Furthermore, the new Nike Flight uses 3D ink design to strategically print ‘micro flaps’ along the Nike AerowSculpt grooves, utilising aerospace principles to further optimise aerodynamic stability; designed to reduce wobble and create a more predictable and consistent flight. Nike’s equipment innovation lab designed a solution that allows air to flow smoothly around the ball, rather than clinging to its surface.
A new design that utilises a larger striking surface, replacing the traditional 12 panels found on footballs with just 4, resulting in a 40% reduction in seams and hard areas. Among other innovations, the ball is manufactured with a latex bladder, rather than a traditional rubber one, where the latex is wrapped in patented materials to promote more consistent air pressure and maintain its shape. The embossed grooves and 3D inks, designed to dry at levels and locations varying by millimetres, expand as they dry during the printing process, further improving the ball’s aerodynamics and feel.
Kieran Ronan, Senior Director at Nike Global, explains: "The design process began with a square-shaped Aerotrack groove. Over the course of 68 prototypes, we modified the shape of the groove, added sculpted ridges and explored multiple features to create a geometric pattern that helps promote a more stable flight. Everything we do in the lab is rooted in science. Here, we can detect small differences in performance that may not be noticeable to most athletes, but when those small differences are repeated 68 times, the result is a noticeable leap in performance.”
What footballers are saying about the Nike Flight ball
“I can’t wait to score goals with the Nike Flight ball; it’s the most futuristic and beautiful ball I’ve ever played with.” —Ada Hegerberg
If there are any dates when football kit enthusiasts have reason to celebrate, it’s when we’re on the cusp of a new season. This year, Nike aims to come out on top in the battle between brands, by being the best both on and off the pitch. To that end, it has already unveiled the new Neighborhood Pack of football boots, as well as the second instalment of the Future Lab Pack collection. As you can see, the year the American brand has in store for us is, to say the least, interesting, and everything suggests that, from now on, Nike will, as always, delight all football kit enthusiasts.
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