Bayer MaterialScience gets the ball rolling in Brazil

With the FIFA World Cup kick-off in just two more weeks, fans around the world are getting ready to hunker down for a whole month of non-stop soccer games. Held once every four years, this international soccer tournament, in which 32 national teams compete, is hosted each time by a different country; this year, it's Brazil.

And every four years, it's Adidas' job to produce the official match ball - the ball that will be used in every World Cup game, including the final. This year's ball is called the "Brazuca," and, like all its predecessors since 1986, is, to a certain extent, a Bayer product.

Adidas has produced the official match ball of the World Cup since 1970, and has collaborated with Bayer MaterialScience on ball development for almost thirty years. The existing agreement between Adidas and the FIFA was recently extended to run until 2030. And Bayer MaterialScience is happy to play along again. Thomas Michaelis, project manager for ball development at BayerMaterialScience, has accompanied the development of high-tech soccer balls for many years. Together with Adidas, he and his team in research and development are committed to developing even rounder balls with even better grip - in short, better balls - for every European Championship and the Soccer Championship.

The new Brazuca complies with or exceeds all the standards set by the international soccer governing body. According to Michaelis, it's the skin that turns the soccer ball into a piece of high-tech sports equipment. The inside consists of an air-filled latex bladder. This is covered with a textile fabric that serves as a substrate for the outer layers. "But, in actual fact, the Brazuca owes its many highly praised properties to its outer skin," says Michaelis. "It comprises a total of five layers based on polyurethane raw materials."

These five layers ensure optimal ball contact and prevent any moisture absorption. They are also responsible for the fact that the ball retains its shape and appearance for a long period of time. The innermost layer of the skin is an adhesion coating that connects the textile substrate to the layers above. On top of this is a polyurethane foam layer, roughly one millimeter thick, made up of millions of gas-filled microspheres. This foam is highly elastic so that the ball, after being deformed from being kicked, immediately returns to its spherical shape to ensure an optimal trajectory. The outer skin comprises three compact layers of polyurethane with different thicknesses. These layers are responsible for the outstanding resistance to external influences and abrasion, and for the ball's high elasticity. They also help to preserve its unique appearance.

While the surface of conventional soccer balls consists of 12, 16 or even 32 panels, the Brazuca is made up of only six panels of absolutely identical shape. The perfect symmetry is not only an outstanding geometric achievement, it also has major advantages: The more panels used to cover the surface, the more seams there are that could absorb moisture. Fewer elements mean that the ball is more durable and more resistant to the elements.

Over 600 professional players have tested the ball, with very good results: ball control and touch have been improved, and the Brazuca is even more stable and rounder than its predecessors.

"When I used to play soccer with my friends in the street, we played with heavy leather balls. Saturated with water every time it rained, the balls used to get so heavy that there was a real danger of injuring your toes," Michaelis recalls. However, today's official ball must weigh between 420 and 445 grams, no more, no less. Natural leather products could no longer meet these requirements. The punched pieces of equal size that were sewn together to produce the final ball never weighed the same when they were made of leather. They had to be painstakingly sorted and selected to ensure that the overall weight was right in the end.

This changed with the arrival of synthetic material. The panels punched from it were all exactly the same weight, almost down to the gram. There was no more need for pre-sorting; they were simply bonded together and the ball was finished. "It was an enormous step towards more efficient production. Thanks to the synthetic material, water absorption was also reduced - a 'toe-friendly' side effect, if you will," says Michaelis, summarizing the evolution of the soccer ball.

Aside from the ball, Bayer materials are also used to produce lightweight, durable football boots and even underwear. Many players wear a special kind of underwear with compression function that feels like a second skin on the body. The trick is elastic bands incorporated in the garments that have a special coating from Bayer. They give an athlete improved posture and prevent premature fatigue. When the bands stretch, the material temporarily stores the energy, giving it back to an athlete as he or she continues to move, which enhances strength and stamina. At the same time, the compression helps to avoid unwanted muscle vibration that can adversely influence performance.

Yet Bayer's relationship with soccer goes even beyond the national soccer league and marketable products, particularly in Brazil. Bayer's largest production location in Latin America is located at Belford Roxo, some 30 kilometers from downtown Rio. Here, the company has launched various projects to support the community, such as education initiatives on health matters and aid programs for better nutrition. One special initiative is a campaign to get youths out of the slums and to give them personal prospects for the future: the Bayer Soccer Academy. Bayer has been using soccer to attract young people since 1993. The rules are strict: students are only allowed to stay in the program if they regularly attend general school classes.

One of the young men participating in the program is Guilherme Pinheiro Santos, 17 year-old Brazilian from Belford Roxo. During a visit to Germany, he had the opportunity to meet the pros on the Bayer 04 team, soccer icon Rudi Völler and even Marijn Dekkers, CEO of the Bayer Group, who took the time out to try the new Brazuca out with the young Brazilian. And while neither could speak the other's language, no words were needed - just the ball.