The Concept

A football should respond in the very same way every time it is struck, whether it is in the 90th minute of a match or straight from the first kick-off. Otherwise, it would be unfair on the players and frustrating for the fans.

The FIFA Quality Concept for Footballs is a test programme for outdoor, futsal and beach soccer balls. Manufacturers can enter into a licensing agreement to use the prestigious FIFA APPROVED and FIFA INSPECTED quality marks on footballs that have passed a rigorous testing procedure.

The FIFA Quality Concept tests are used to assess footballs under laboratory conditions, subjecting them to even tougher conditions than they will probably ever endure during a normal game. Only balls that pass these tests receive one of the FIFA quality marks: FIFA INSPECTED or the even higher standard, FIFA APPROVED.

The Laws of the Game demand that all balls used in international matches organised by FIFA or the confederations bear one of the FIFA quality marks (FIFA APPROVED or FIFA INSPECTED) or the “IMS International Matchball Standard” mark. The referee can then be sure that the matchball meets all the necessary requirements, and he only needs to check the ball’s air pressure.
Everyone – from the world’s most famous professionals to school children having a kick-around at playtime – can ensure that they have a top-quality football by looking for the FIFA marks the next time they buy a ball.

How does a ball receive the FIFA marks?

A ball must successfully pass the six tests described in detail on this website to earn the FIFA INSPECTED quality mark. The tests check the ball’s weight, circumference, roundness, bounce, water absorption and loss of pressure.

To gain the top FIFA APPROVED quality mark, a ball must pass these six tests under even more demanding conditions, as well as a seventh test (shape and size retention) to ensure that the ball also retains its shape and size for the duration of a match.

Manufacturers of FIFA APPROVED and FIFA INSPECTED footballs

Over 40 million footballs are produced each year. They vary in price from a few dollars to perhaps $150 or more. It is difficult to estimate the actual number of football manufacturers worldwide but, suffice to say, around 90 manufacturers are registered FIFA licensees. These include the major worldwide brands that have some three-quarters of the world market between them, other somewhat smaller companies that still have a world market, those that are well-known and mainly sell in their own countries, right down to small manufacturers producing only a few hundred footballs each year. Of course, many of the household-name companies produce sportswear and footwear as well, and so footballs are simply part of their product range.

If you are interested in becoming a licensee of the FIFA Quality Concept for Footballs, you will find more information here 

FIFA commitment

Football is the most popular sport in the world for players and fans alike. A free kick curling round the opponents’ wall, a dazzling dribble around four or five defenders, a perfect pass the length of the pitch, an acrobatic clearance, a breathtaking shot or header – there are so many highlights in every match, but it is always the ball that is in the spotlight.

What is FIFA?

The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) is world football’s governing body and as such is responsible for many aspects of the game, ranging from publishing the Laws of the Game to organising major international tournaments like the FIFA World Cup™.
FIFA was founded in 1904 by seven associations representing Belgium, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. It now boasts over 200 member associations, divided between six continental confederations: Asia (AFC), Africa (CAF), Europe (UEFA), Oceania (OFC), North and Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF), and South America (CONMEBOL). FIFA is based in Zurich, Switzerland.
As world football’s governing body, FIFA is responsible for the core values of the game and for ensuring that footballs all around the world are of the highest quality. For that reason, FIFA has developed the FIFA Quality Concept for Footballs, a rigorous testing system for manufacturers all around the world. The internationally recognised FIFA Quality Marks (FIFA APPROVED and FIFA INSPECTED) guarantee quality and the consistent characteristics of footballs.

Laws of the Game

Law 2 of the Laws of the Game requires that the footballs used in FIFA matches and international matches organised by the confederations meet minimum quality standards.

Law II - Decision 1 ("Laws of the Game")
FIFA APPROVED and FIFA INSPECTED test criteria match or exceed the international matchball standards as outlined in the Laws of the Game and indicate that such footballs are of the required quality for match play, balls to be used in FIFA competition matches* and competition matches" under the auspices of the Confederations. Member association competitions may require the use of balls bearing any one of the official designations.
In all other matches, the ball used must satisfy the requirements of Law II.

*see pages 20-21 for definition and listing of FIFA Matches and Confederation Matches

FIFA APPROVED and FIFA INSPECTED certified footballs comply with these quality tests and qualify for football games on all levels.

About FIFA

FIFA matches

About FIFA

Confederation matches

About FIFA

FIFA commitment

Football is the most popular sport in the world for players and fans alike. A free kick curling round the opponents’ wall, a dazzling dribble around four or five defenders, a perfect pass the length of the pitch, an acrobatic clearance, a breathtaking shot or header – there are so many highlights in every match, but it is always the ball that is in the spotlight.

What is FIFA?

The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) is world football’s governing body and as such is responsible for many aspects of the game, ranging from publishing the Laws of the Game to organising major international tournaments like the FIFA World Cup™.
FIFA was founded in 1904 by seven associations representing Belgium, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. It now boasts over 200 member associations, divided between six continental confederations: Asia (AFC), Africa (CAF), Europe (UEFA), Oceania (OFC), North and Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF), and South America (CONMEBOL). FIFA is based in Zurich, Switzerland.
As world football’s governing body, FIFA is responsible for the core values of the game and for ensuring that footballs all around the world are of the highest quality. For that reason, FIFA has developed the FIFA Quality Concept for Footballs, a rigorous testing system for manufacturers all around the world. The internationally recognised FIFA Quality Marks (FIFA APPROVED and FIFA INSPECTED) guarantee quality and the consistent characteristics of footballs.

Laws of the Game

Law 2 of the Laws of the Game requires that the footballs used in FIFA matches and international matches organised by the confederations meet minimum quality standards.

Law II - Decision 1 ("Laws of the Game")
FIFA APPROVED and FIFA INSPECTED test criteria match or exceed the international matchball standards as outlined in the Laws of the Game and indicate that such footballs are of the required quality for match play, balls to be used in FIFA competition matches* and competition matches* under the auspices of the Confederations. Member association competitions may require the use of balls bearing any one of the official designations.
In all other matches, the ball used must satisfy the requirements of Law II.

FIFA APPROVED and FIFA INSPECTED certified footballs comply with these quality tests and qualify for football games on all levels.

Score goals with a clear conscience

The FIFA Quality Concept for Footballs contributes towards FIFA’s corporate mission to “Develop the game, touch the world, build a better future”. Manufacturers of FIFA APPROVED and FIFA INSPECTED footballs commit themselves to producing balls under fair working conditions. “No child labour! No excuses!”
All manufacturers awarded one of the FIFA marks are contractually obliged not to use child labour. FIFA has pledged its commitment to fight child labour and has been supporting the International Labour Organization (ILO) and its International Programme for the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) in its efforts since 1997. This joint initiative helps children from disadvantaged families to gain an education, something they urgently need to improve their future work prospects.

An independent agency called the Independent Monitoring Association for Child Labour, IMAC, is based in Sialkot in order to monitor compliance at the stitching centres. It has been operational since 1 March 2003. For more information, please visit: www.imacpak.org.

The profits generated by the licensing fees from balls bearing the FIFA quality marks are passed on to a number of social development programmes that have children as beneficiaries through the Football for Hope movement.

Furthermore, FIFA supports SOS Children’s Villages in helping to provide homes for orphaned and underprivileged children as well as a large number of non-governmental organisations, using football as a tool for worldwide social and human development to support the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

Social responsibility

Against child labour

Child labour is a worldwide problem that exists in various forms in both developed and developing nations. The International Labour Organization estimates that more than 250 million children are working around the globe – 120 million on a full-time basis, a third of them in dangerous conditions.

The prevalence of child labour differs from one region and one country to the next. Although it is a scourge that is also present in developed nations, the majority of child workers are to be found in Africa and Asia due to these regions’ increasing levels of poverty and faltering economic growth.

Child labour is a complex socio-political problem that is difficult to combat. As an international sports federation, FIFA has neither the experience nor the means to solve this far-reaching issue unaided. In acknowledgement of the importance of proper working conditions, FIFA pays great attention to the problem of child labour. That is why world football’s governing body imposes strict regulations on its contractual partners in this respect and collaborates closely with official organisations such as the ILO and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Moreover, since entering into a partnership with the World Federation for the Sporting Goods Industry (WFSGI), FIFA has taken an active part in the WFSGI’s programmes to eradicate child labour, particularly in Pakistan.

Since 1997, and Under the terms of the Atlanta Agreement, FIFA, the ILO and the International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) have been working together on the implementation of the “Elimination of Child Labour in the Soccer Ball Industry in Sialkot, Pakistan” programme and the “Promoting Sustainability and Reliability” project. FIFA’s participation has been crucial to the success of the Sialkot programme and its financial support for the first two phases of the initiative totalled USD 1.1 million. Combining workplace monitoring with an education and social programme, while also increasing awareness among children and their parents as well as communities at large about the value of education and the negative impact of prematurely putting children to work, has contributed to the progressive elimination of child labour in Sialkot. Pakistan is by far the largest producer of footballs worldwide.

Thousands of children were withdrawn from work and they and their siblings were enrolled in school. Some schools were set up through the project as state education facilities were not always present in outlying vulnerable communities surrounding Sialkot. Vocational education was made available to help older children develop new skills in trades that would provide them with a more secure future. A skills training and micro-credit program was also set up to help vulnerable families develop income-generating activities to offset the loss of children’s income. In addition, health and hygiene activities were included as part of the social protection component, providing medical examinations and support to children and their families.

For the project’s third phase, which started in 2005 and focuses on the promotion of sustainability and reliability, FIFA has already committed additional funding of USD 540,000.

Project impact

The project surpassed expectations and targets in some of its objectives (Main project outcomes:

1) Over 10,500 children educated in 255 specially created non-formal education centres;

 2) Nearly 6,000 of these children absorbed into formal government schools;

3) Health care provided to around 5,400 children;

4) 177 Village Education Committees and 243 Family Education Committees set up;

5) Access to micro-credit provided to families by the Punjab Rural Support Program;

6) 66 manufacturers – representing 90% of total soccer ball production in Sialkot – participated in the monitoring program in phase 1.)

Thousands of children were withdrawn from work and they and their siblings were enrolled in school. Some schools were set up through the project as state education facilities were not always present in outlying vulnerable communities surrounding Sialkot. Vocational education was made available to help older children develop new skills in trades that would provide them with a more secure future. A skills training and micro-credit programme was also set up to help vulnerable families develop income-generating activities to offset the loss of children’s income. In addition, health and hygiene activities were included as part of the social protection component, providing medical examinations and support to children and their families.

As the project progressed, the number of children working in the football industry fell considerably and prevention rates increased. Consequently, the education and social protection components were gradually phased out. Although some education centres closed as students graduated or moved to state schools, a large number was subsequently taken over either by the community or by the district government, improving education access across Sialkot district. This strategy ensured that education support continued to be available in those communities for as long as necessary and that the project was integrated effectively into the district government’s primary education plan.

Advocacy

In 2002, the ILO and IPEC decided to show the red card to child labour also during international football competitions in order to raise public awareness for their efforts to stamp out this bane of society and to attract support from national governments. Since its launch at the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations in Mali, the “Red Card to Child Labour” campaign has been a part of many international football tournaments.
On 13 February 2003, FIFA and the ILO officially agreed to join forces on this campaign and thus forge a link between sport and labour. The “Red Card to Child Labour” campaign has already been championed at numerous high-profile football events, including Real Madrid’s centenary celebrations (International Football Day, December 2002), the South American U-20 Championship (January 2003), the FIFA Women’s World Cup USA 2003 and the 2004 AFC Asian Cup in China PR. In doing so, the campaign’s quintessential message has been disseminated to more than 400 million people around the globe.

Fair Play for Ball Makers

As part of its battle against child labour around the world as well as its efforts to improve working conditions, FIFA has increased the requirements to be met by licensees in the FIFA Quality Concept for Footballs.

It is not easy to judge the quality of footballs with the naked eye. Without guidance and assistance, people who buy footballs would have to choose from a wide range of products, and hope that the ball would still be as good at the end of the match as it was at kick-off. Therefore, to help guide customers and to guarantee that footballs are of the highest quality, FIFA launched the FIFA Quality Concept for Footballs in 1996 so that manufacturers could have their products tested and certified.

To obtain such a licence, manufacturers were already obliged to confirm that no child labour had been used in their production processes. This requirement has been extended further, however, with licensees now having to comply fully with the code of conduct of the World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry (WFSGI). Rather than focusing purely on the issue of child labour, this code also lays down internationally recognised guidelines for hours of work, health and safety, forced labour and environmental protection. The WFSGI will only issue a confirmation once they have checked that all is in order, and licensees must now provide FIFA with a copy of this confirmation every year and no longer just every four years. This ensures that only companies that meet international minimum standards can become FIFA licensees.

“When FIFA issues seals of approval as part of the Quality Concept for Footballs, we cannot simply concentrate on the quality of the end product. We must also check the quality of the manufacturing process and ensure that people are treated properly,” FIFA Secretary General Jérôme Valcke told FIFA World.

Federico Addiechi, FIFA’s Head of Corporate Social Responsibility, is delighted with this latest development: “For FIFA, social responsibility is firstly about promoting social development through and with football, but it is also about trying to eradicate social problems wherever we can. Guaranteeing minimum social standards in the production process of footballs that bear FIFA’s seal of approval is a key part of this concept.”

In the same spirit, Addiechi also pointed out that FIFA has been making substantial investments ever since 1997 to support the ILO/IPEC (International Labour Organization/International Programme for the Elimination of Child Labour) programme “Elimination of Child Labour in the Soccer Ball Industry“.

If a licensee no longer meets the stipulated requirements and fails to obtain the necessary confirmation from the WFGSI, FIFA can immediately withdraw the company’s licence.

All licence fees from this project are donated to social projects as part of the Football for Hope movement. By purchasing a football with either the “FIFA INSPECTED” or “FIFA APPROVED” quality mark, buyers are therefore automatically supporting FIFA’s efforts to promote social development through football, safe in the knowledge that the working conditions during the manufacturing process also meet internationally recognised standards.

Research & Development

Development of Circumference & Sphericity Testing

FIFA is currently assessing a new test apparatus to improve Circumference & Sphericity testing. Compared to the existing manual test method improvements are expected from the automated system to test various football types with different panel shapes and materials more accurate. The robust system which offers quality improvements at a moderate cost, also allows larges batches of testings.
This new aparatus is a true improvement.

Beach Soccer Research

The FIFA Quality Concept for Beach Soccer balls has been introduced in 2006.
The goal is to further improve the quality of Beach Soccer balls worldwide by:
 * tightening the test criteria for the FIFA APPROVED level
 * considering additional criteria
 * giving valuable recommendations to the licensee
Various football models have been evaluated together with the best national teams worldwide. Based on the feedback from players the following recommandations have been identified. Further analysis should help to develop the testing and quality of Beach Soccer footballs.

Important criteria for players:

 * Weight → Ball should not be too light (becomes unpredictable)
 * Ball should not change quality when it gets wet (water absorption)
 * Ball should not lose pressure
 * Ball has to be able to pick up speed
 * It is important the ball has big panels with soft stitching → better control and less pain
 * Surface conditions → good grip, cushioned but still able to pick upor gain speed (not too soft!)
 * 2-3 different colours (good contrast to different type of sand)

Medical Issues: Head and Neck Injuries in Football

The reason why Medical Analysis is important:

Footballs have evolved over the years from an inflated pig’s bladder to a leather encased bladder. The first guidelines were set in 1872 with regard to the ball. The current laws of the game set standards for the ball: circumference of 680-720 mm, mass of 410-450 grams and inflation pressures of 600-1100 g/cm2 (0.6-1.1 bar). The current FIFA Quality Concept (FQC) sets narrower standards on circumference and mass plus restrictions on shape, size, water absorption, pressure loss, rebound and balance.
Testing the weight and water absorbtion of a football contributes to avoid excessive (head) impacts by footballs.

Heading is an specific and essential part of the game and yet the impacts of heading have been implicated in mild and acute neuropsychological impairment. Some published studies had suggested that ball characteristics affect the impact response of the head; however, the biomechanics of the interaction of the ball on the head are sometimes not well understood. F-MARC (FIFA Medical Assessment and Reseach Centre) approaches against head injuries is to study whether ball mass, pressure and construction characteristics can help reduce head and neck impact response.

Prevention?

There are a number of options that can reduce impact on the head, neck or both.

 One option is to improve the heading technique. Some heading techniques provided benefits by reducing a few aspects of the head responses while providing greater player skills for controlling the ball and perhaps greater appreciation of the game. But while we can identify a set of technique suggestions than might make heading safer, inconsistent results from modified heading techniques will make any skill recommendations difficult to implement.

Another option would be to reduce ball mass and inflation pressure. Studies show that improving the classical ball characteristics of mass and pressure might have immediate effect on heading scenarios regardless of the player’s skills. Though research on a wider range of ages, skill, sex, heading scenarios, etc. will aid in the further understanding and improvement of heading biomechanics, changes to the ball characteristics have shown to provide on overall benefit and can be effectively implemented.

The possible fall-off in playability and handling characteristics using balls with reduced mass and/or pressures would need to be balanced against the possible safety benefits. The constraints provided by the Laws of the Game and the FQC are being reviewed constantly to provide increase in quality and decrease in injuries.

Research & Development

The standards for FIFA-certified balls are being continually raised. 

Even the slightest flaw in the ball will influence the way it flies through the air and rolls along the ground. The FIFA Quality Concept strives to continually improve the quality of FIFA-certified balls, which is why the criteria that are in place are subjected to regular reviews and, if necessary, amended accordingly.

In-depth research, for example, led to the introduction of the CSM (Circumference and Sphericity Measuring System) machine on 1 January 2011. The CSM is a fully automatic machine that measures a ball’s circumference as well as its sphericity, which is so vital for the quality of the play. If a ball is not completely round it will not roll correctly, which makes dribbling more difficult, for example.

The radius of the ball is now measured at 45,000 points. As a result, practically the whole ball is measured, which prevents defects in the sphericity situated opposite one another from “cancelling each other out”. This machine makes it almost impossible to overlook an imperfection on the ball.
 

THE RADIUS OF THE BALL IS MEASURED AT 45,000 POINTS

A further advantage of the machine is that it provides the results on a detailed computer printout, showing the measurements as curves to indicate any possible defects in the sphericity.

COMPUTER PRINTOUT

This new machine will ensure that in the future, footballs will undergo even more accurate and reliable tests, which will help to improve the quality of the game even further.

Research & Development

Beach soccer research

The FIFA Quality Concept was extended to include beach soccer balls in 2006.
The goal is to further improve the quality of beach soccer balls worldwide by:

• Tightening the test criteria for the FIFA APPROVED level;
• Considering additional criteria;
• Giving valuable recommendations to the licensee.

Various football models have been evaluated together with some of the best national teams in the world. Based on the feedback from players, the following recommendations have been identified. Further analysis should help to develop the testing and quality of beach soccer balls.

Important criteria for players:

• Weight → ball should not be too light (becomes unpredictable)
• Ball should not change quality when it gets wet (water absorption)
• Ball should not lose pressure
• Ball has to be able to pick up speed
• The ball should have large panels with soft stitching → better control and less pain
• Surface conditions → good grip, cushioned but still able to pick up or gain speed (not too soft!)
• 2-3 different colours (good contrast to different types of sand)

Research & Development

Medical issues: head and neck injuries in football

Why medical analysis is so important

Footballs have evolved over the years from an inflated pig’s bladder to a leather-encased bladder. The first guidelines with regard to the ball were laid down in 1872. The current Laws of the Game contain standards for the ball: circumference of 680-720mm, mass of 410-450 grams and inflation pressure of 600-1100 g/cm2 (0.6-1.1 bar). The current FIFA Quality Concept (FQC) has narrower standards on circumference and mass plus restrictions on shape, size, water absorption, pressure loss, rebound and balance.

Testing the weight and water absorption of a football contributes towards avoiding excessive (head) impacts by footballs.

Heading is a specific and essential part of the game and yet the impact of heading has been implicated in mild and acute neuropsychological impairment. Some published studies have suggested that ball characteristics affect the impact response of the head; however, the biomechanics of the interaction of the ball on the head are sometimes not understood. The F-MARC (FIFA Medical Assessment and Research Centre) approach to head injuries is to study whether ball mass, pressure and construction characteristics can help to reduce head and neck impact response.

Prevention?

There are a number of options that can reduce impact on the head, neck or both.

One option is to improve a player’s heading technique. Some heading techniques provide benefits by reducing a few aspects of the head responses while providing greater player skills for controlling the ball and perhaps a greater appreciation of the game. But while we can identify a set of technique suggestions that might make heading safer, inconsistent results from modified heading techniques will make any skill recommendations difficult to implement.

Another option would be to reduce ball mass and inflation pressure. Studies show that improving the classical ball characteristics of mass and pressure might have an immediate effect on heading scenarios, regardless of the player’s skills. Although research on a wider range of ages, skill, sexes, heading scenarios etc. will aid in the further understanding and improvement of heading biomechanics, changes to the ball characteristics have been shown to provide an overall benefit and they can be implemented effectively.

The possible fall-off in playability and handling characteristics using balls with reduced mass and/or pressure would need to be balanced against the possible safety benefits. The constraints provided by the Laws of the Game and the FQC are constantly reviewed to provide an increase in quality and a decrease in injuries.

Tested footballs help to make an optimal football match

The very high participation rate for the first survey on the FIFA quality marks, coupled with the interesting answers provided, were reason enough to expand the survey. This time, the objective was not only to survey coaches but also a broader range of people involved in the game, and to go into greater detail on various issues.  

Once again, there was a very high participation rate with a total of 692 participants from 53 different countries. The participants themselves came from various sectors of football: amateur footballers (44%) made up the biggest group, followed by youth footballers (20%) and coaches with 15%. The remaining participants came from smaller groups such as professional footballers and referees. 

FIFA quality marks = quality

The high level of recognition indicated by the first survey was once again confirmed by this survey, with 79% of respondents saying that they were familiar with FIFA’s quality marks. The marks on the balls and communication on FIFA.com are the main factors in a person’s awareness of the quality marks. 

DO BALLS THAT BEAR A FIFA QUALITY MARK CONTRIBUTE SIGNIFICANTLY TO AN OPTIMAL FOOTBALL MATCH DUE TO THEIR HIGH LEVEL OF QUALITY?

In addition to the level of awareness, the survey also focused on characteristics that the respondents associate with balls that have been tested. More than half of those surveyed associated “high quality” with these balls, and they also said that they preferred FIFA APPROVED and FIFA INSPECTED balls to balls that have not been tested.

94% convinced by FIFA Quality Concept

Another significant finding was the fact that 94% of all respondents “fully” or “partially” agreed that balls that bear a FIFA quality mark contribute significantly to an optimal football match due to their high level of quality.

The importance of the FIFA quality marks to a football match was also underlined elsewhere in the survey, as 70% of those surveyed believed that it was important that FIFA tests footballs. More than two-thirds also believed that FIFA’s tests check all of the quality characteristics that are relevant for them.

The results of this survey are very pleasing and will give FIFA even further impetus to continue to improve the FIFA Quality Concept for Footballs so that it can keep on making a significant contribution to an optimal football match in the years to come.