I don't know how many times I've shown up to a field to find my pump lost or the needle bent. I've also lost a lot of balls, and some of them didn't get lost so much as leave with somebody else. Those are the two biggest problems with a soccer ball: you need a pump, and they get stolen.
The Nil Ball solves both. It has no bladder and no valve, so there's nothing to pump and nothing to go flat. Nil is the soccer word for zero, and zero is how many times you'll pump this ball. You can also have your name and phone number printed into it for good. It comes in five sizes, and all five are training balls.
How a shoe company ended up printing balls
We're constantly changing how we make our shoes, and that left some of our printers obsolete. When we asked what else they could make, the answer turned out to be a ball.
We already had some really durable foams, so this summer we started prototyping foam balls. Thomas also started on a multi-material football, and I got a little distracted for a while. The football is still in development because it has durability problems and isn't grippy enough. The foam balls are the ones that came together.
What took so long
A normal soccer ball is a bag of air wearing a nice jacket. Ours is printed in one piece from a TPU that foams as it leaves the nozzle, with soft outer walls over a springy lattice. All of the feel comes from how we print it, and the first ball came out way too light and soft.
Overhangs were next. A printer builds upward, so everything below the equator leans out over nothing, and soft foam sags and curls when you ask it to do that. Then the infill and wall thickness took a lot of test prints to dial in. Every ball carries its version number on its side, and the current one says V0.28, which tells you how many times we've changed our minds.
I was worried about durability, so I took a ball out and rubbed it on gravel and concrete, and it barely showed. Most 3D prints are flat stacks of layers. On this ball the printer moves up and down as it goes, so the layers ripple in small waves and the top follows the curve of the ball. I think those non-planar surfaces make it super strong.
Everyone I give one to really likes it, and I think a lot of that is because it's just round. It rolls and spins better than a normal ball, and it's just a fun ball.
Why this is a training ball
This isn't a match ball, and it doesn't feel like one. It's a little heavier for its size and doesn't bounce as much as a real soccer ball, which makes it really good for juggling. You could argue it's also a little too grippy for soccer, but that grip teaches you to make clean touches.
If you want to be a better soccer player, you should be touching a ball all the time, and that's what these are for. Foam is also quiet, so you can work on your feet in the living room without the people downstairs filing a complaint. I think of the foot as a skill you train, and playing barefoot is one of the better ways to train it.
Five sizes, and which one to pick
The smaller the ball, the harder it gets.
- Striker (6.5 in): the biggest, closest in size to a real ball. Against a wall, it makes you control where your toe gets under the ball to strike it properly.
- Skiller (5.5 in): the all-round skills ball.
- Juggler (5 in): juggling and freestyle.
- Touch (4 in): first touch and close control.
- Pocket (3 in): juggling and touch anywhere. It fits in a pocket.
The line stops at 6.5 inches for now because of print time. A Pocket takes about three hours and a Striker takes about 19, while a size 5 match ball (about 8.6 inches) would take more than 40 on one printer.
These also make really good gifts for younger players. Balls for kids tend to be light and bouncy, so they get away from you, and a heavier ball that bounces less is easier to keep under control. If you put a name on one for a kid, use a parent's phone number.
Put your name on it
Everyone has written their name on a ball with a marker, and a marker rubs right off. We print your name and phone number into the ball, so they stay there. To steal this ball, someone has to be quite shameless, because they'll be walking around with your name and your number on it.
The details
Every Nil Ball comes in black or lilac and is printed to order in the same Kent, Washington shop as our custom soccer cleats. Our own team finishes and packs it. It ships in 3 to 5 business days, and shipping is free anywhere in the USA.
Be ready: our giveaway is coming
One person will win one of every size, printed with their name. Follow @prevolve_ on Instagram so you don't miss it.
Tell us what to change next
The Nil Ball is still in testing, and your feedback decides what the next version looks like. Tell us which size you use, how the bounce and grip feel, and where the ball shows wear. Send us a message, and we'll use it to set the next round of changes and to decide whether a bigger ball is worth printing.
Cheers,
Oliver
Founder
Prevolve Footwear