The Current

The Design Behind... The Soccer Ball

For as long as humans have had legs, they have been kicking around some form of a soccer ball. They were made of many different materials... stitched cloths stuffed with hair, inflated animal bladders, even human skulls. The Current's producer Liz Hoath brings us the story behind the soccer ball.
In Medieval times, legend has it that villages were said to kick a human scull along to a nearby village square. That village then tried to kick the scull all the way back to the original village. (Jake Bellucci, Flickr cc)

For as long as humans have had legs, they have been kicking around some form of a soccer ball. They were made of many different materials... stitched cloths stuffed with hair, inflated animal bladders, even human skulls. The Current's producer Liz Hoath brings us the story behind the soccer ball.