A short history of the official Bundesliga soccer ball

The Bundesliga has gone through many changes since its inception in 1963/64, and that includes its most important piece of equipment: the soccer ball. bundesliga.com has delved deep into the archives to bring you a short history of the various official soccer balls used in Germany's top flight.

Until the introduction of the adidas Torfabrik soccer ball in 2010/11, different clubs used different balls, as it was their prerogative as the home team to decide which ball would be used for a game.

A single soccer ball was used for all 306 Bundesliga matches in the 1979/80 campaign, but the idea of using a universal ball indefinitely was only agreed upon for the start of the 2010/11 season, when the DFL signed a contract with German sportswear manufacturer adidas to supply Torfabrik soccer balls for the next five seasons.

Previously, a range of balls would be used for matches, often a different one each week.

It was a somewhat inefficient process, as not only did players have to get used to the various soccer balls, the away team also had to be supplied with multiple replicas at least two weeks before a match, in order to be acclimatised to the ball come matchday. As well as for marketing reasons, the DFL's deal with adidas therefore ensures no team is at a disadvantage due to using a different ball.

The original Torfabrik soccer ball from 2010/11 was modelled on the Jabulani match ball used at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, while the 2014/15 ball also took inspiration from the Brazuca ball used at the 2014 World Cup. The ball currently being used in Germany's top two tiers was revealed on 24 May 2017 and first used on 28 July, the opening day of this season's Bundesliga 2 campaign.

This season is the last campaign, for now, in which adidas balls will be used in Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 games.