Polyurethane gives perfect flight to EURO Championship soccer ball

Covestro and adidas are celebrating 30 years of working together developing soccer balls by releasing the ‘Beau Jeu’, or ‘beautiful game’, official match ball for the 2016 European Soccer Championship.

The Beau Jeu is said to incorporate the best elements of the Brazuca, the official match ball of the 2014 Soccer World Cup, but is said to surpass it in terms of grip and its properties in play. According to Covestro, the durability, improved ball control and stable flight characteristics of the Beau Jeu, as well as its water resistance, are down to its outer shell.

“The ball’s outer shell consists of a total of five layers based on polyurethane raw materials from our Impranil line,” explained Thomas Michaelis, project manager for ball development at Covestro. “It starts with the outermost skin, a full underglass print that prevents abrasion of the printed layer.”

The underlying intermediate layer protects the ball against external influences and gives it unusually high elasticity. Beneath that is a polyurethane foam with millions of microspheres that ensure outstanding flight characteristics. A polyurethane adhesive bonds the top layers to a special polyester-cotton fabric that serves as a substrate.

The companies say that fans can look forward to the Beau Jeu providing exciting matches in the Championship from June 10 to July 10, 2016.