Wilson’s Football Division, National sportsmen

Manufacturing in Action, Source : The Manufacturer US

W.H. Parson on Wilson’s Football Division, the company that makes all our footballs

Yes, we’ve all handled a football, but how many of us know how they are made? It’s a more refined process than you might think, and Wilson’s Football Division has refined that process to an art. Wilson’s factory in Ada, OH, turns out more than 700,000 footballs each year. Wilson has made the Official NFL Game Ball since 1941, and the workers of Ada have shouldered that responsibility since 1955. Today, the factory is Ada’s second-largest employer, and the last place in America where footballs are still made. Wilson’s 150 employees at Ada manufacture more footballs than any other company in the world. And they make them all by hand.

Making a Wilson football involves approximately 50 steps from start to finish, with more than a dozen quality-control checks throughout production. Each football begins from a hide of water-resistant and specially tanned leather, from which four equal, football-shaped panels are cut. Because no two cowhides are identical, each set of four panels must be trimmed to a uniform thickness and weight to meet official specifications. One panel is then stamped with the official Super Bowl and Wilson logos, while a second panel is stamped with the Wilson logo as well as the date and location of the game and the names of the participating teams.

The construction of the Super Bowl Game Ball is identical to the Wilson Official NFL Game Ball. The differences in the manufacturing process occur with the stamping of the panels. In place of the traditional NFL logo used on the game balls during the regular season and the playoffs, the footballs used during the Super Bowl feature the official Super Bowl logo as well as the date and location of the game and the participating teams. Wilson has made the official game ball for all 37 Super Bowls.

A three-ply synthetic lining material is sewn into the underside of each panel to help the ball retain its shape and to protect the ball’s bladder. Two panels are then hole-punched, to allow for lacing, and then reinforced with a smaller lining to protect the bladder opening and valve ring, where a needle is inserted for inflation. Then the panels are sewn together inside-out on a heavy-duty lockstitch sewing machine.

The next stage of manufacturing features the greatest test of strength and dexterity. There are 21 men at the factory who perform the difficult task of turning the footballs right side out, a task that is said to be about as easy as turning a sneaker inside out. This prepares the ball for the insertion of the valve-type bladders. To aid in his, each turner’s workstation is equipped with a steam box to warm and soften the leather, and a vertical steel bar to provide leverage during the turning.

After the ball has been turned right side out, a polyurethane bladder is inserted through the opening in the lace area and the ball is pre-laced with a heavy linen thread. The NFL footballs then undergo an additional step before lacing: pre-molding. During the pre-molding process, each football is inflated with 80 pounds of air pressure to stretch both the linings and leather, straighten the seams, and to identify any potential bladder problems. After a partial deflating, the balls are ready to be laced. Because NFL footballs must be durable, each ball is double laced with a gridcord material that won’t tear or crack under even the most adverse weather conditions. Like turning, lacing is an accomplished skill and only the most experienced lacers handle the NFL footballs.

Following reinflation, the balls are subjected to a final series of stringent quality-control checks. During the final inspection stage, each ball must meet quality standards in appearance, stitching, length, width, shape, weight, and end seams. At this point, the balls are partially deflated to take the strain off of the seams. They are then placed in unsealed plastic bags to prevent condensation from forming on the leather due to changes in temperature and humidity. The balls are then ready to be shipped out.

“Our Ada, OH, football factory is a tremendous source of pride for everyone at Wilson,” said Chris Considine, president of Wilson Team Sports Company. “When it comes to designing and crafting game balls, there’s no substitute for experience, and no one has more than Wilson.” That experience has recently created a new breed of football, which some players have described as virtually fumble-free. The Wilson GST Game Ball combines composite leather laces, deep channel construction and grip stripes. GST stands for Game Saving Technology. Wilson engineers worked closely with top players, analyzing every aspect of football construction. Together, they targeted three main areas for improvement: the laces, the channels, and the stripe. Rather than using traditional laces, which are relatively slippery, the Wilson GST features a new Accurate Control Lacing System (ACL). The new laces, made of soft, pebbled composite leather, lock the fingers in place for more powerful and accurate passing.

The next step in improving grip involved adding a new neoprene sub-layer, which cushions the surface, while providing extra deep seams. The cushioned surface and channelled seams ensure a positive grip over the ball’s entire surface. As a finishing touch, Wilson engineers developed the Grip Stripe, a friction-enhancing stripe that replaces slick traditional stripes.

In blind testing in 13 cities across America, 82 percent of players preferred the Wilson GST over competitors’ game balls. “Players loved the laces and were impressed with how good the GST felt right out of the box,” said Considine. “There’s no break in time. The GST provides superior grip from day one.”

Wilson’s Football Division is part of the Chicago-based Wilson Team Sports Company, a division of Amer Sports, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of sports equipment. Wilson’s core categories include football, basketball, baseball, softball, bats, volleyball, soccer, youth sports, uniforms and apparel, golf, footwear, and racquet sports.

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