On 4th December 2009 the new ball for the World Cup in South Africa was unveiled. The product of years of research and development, the ‘Jabulani‘ was the most highly engineered football the world had ever seen. Prior to the launch adidas had even gone to the extent of testing the ball in the Bundesliga, […]
Does altitude affect football tactics?
Last November, I proposed that for this Summer’s world Cup Altitude will be key, the thinner air in Johannesburg will cause the ball to behave significantly differently than at sea level. Less air resistance means faster shots and straighter trajectories. As part of a feature for the New Scientist (p35-37, June 5th 2010) we created […]
The golden decade – next stop Vancouver 2010
It’s all downhill from here After the worst winter for 47 years, the snow has finally gone. I miss it already and now I’m looking forward to virtual winter from the comfort of my armchair courtesy of the BBC and the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. Britain is not best suited for winter sports since we […]
The World Cup draw: altitude will be the key
Every World Cup draw is accompanied by a new ball, and media speculation is never far behind. The draw for FIFA 2010 on December 4th will focus attention on the ties in South Africa in next year, but I have some thoughts on what people are likely to be saying about the ball. Goalkeepers are […]
Engineering Sport 