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What with all the backlash from the World Cup about the ball that was used, I won’t even mention its name, Nike was smart to release this new soccer ball this past week. Nike launches the Nike Total 90 Tracer ball, designed for unrivalled consistency, accuracy, touch and visual acuity. Developed in tandem with the world’s premier footballers and teams, the ball was meticulously engineered down to every detail including the bladder’s tension, hand-sewn seams and surface texture. The result is a ball that delivers superior playing benefits for players at every level.
The Total 90 Tracer ball will debut in August in the world’s leading football leagues including the English Premier League, Italy’s Serie A, and Spain’s La Liga. During an extensive two-year testing process Nike worked closely with the Barclays Premier League, Spain’s LFP, Italy’s Serie A, with national teams including Portugal and the United States, and confederation matches throughout South America and Asia. The Nike design team also spent 18 months testing the T90 Tracer Ball at the Nike Equipment Innovation Test Lab in Oregon, USA. “The world’s best leagues, federations and players demand the most innovative product on the market, that’s why our brief was very simple: to create the world’s best football,” said Chris Bond, Nike General Manager of Soccer Equipment. “As the game gets even faster and more competitive around the world, we’ve designed a product to exceed the demands of today’s players from the amateur to elite levels.” The result is the Total 90 Tracer, which delivers enhanced consistency, accuracy, touch and visual science. It is the most pinpoint accurate ball in the world, helping players hit their targets with consistency. Testing shows that the Total 90 Tracer consistently hits a 3-foot in diameter bulls-eye while the leading competitor ball hits a bulls-eye approximately 6-feet in diameter, showing the Total 90 Tracer is more than twice as consistent as the competition. “A great ball makes a real difference for a player, a team and potentially the outcome of a game,” said Sergio Agüero of Atlético Madrid. “The Total 90 Tracer always feels the same no matter where I strike it. It’s responsive and easily controlled in every situation. I can shoot with confidence, knowing it’s going to go exactly where I want it to every time.” The Total 90 Tracer ball’s micro-textured casing regulates airflow equally across its entire surface, making it less prone to wobble and giving it a more direct, arrow-like flight. Rigorously tested at the University of British Columbia wind tunnels, the ball has less drag in flight than competitor balls and produces more precise and truer shots every time. Testing at the Nike Equipment Innovation Test Lab found that the Total 90 Tracer is the most aerodynamically efficient ball in the marketplace, meaning players expend less energy kicking the ball. Consistent touch: Nike teams also focused on enhancing touch – often one of the most crucial elements for footballers. A unique five-layer casing and construction improves touch, giving players maximum control and greater command and presence on the pitch. The Geo II configuration of the ball’s 32 panels evenly distributes pressure across the whole ball, offering more consistent movement and the same response wherever the ball is struck. True control: The micro-textured casing material of the Total 90 Tracer is designed to equalize the flow of air over the ball during flight. This stabilizes the ball and allows it to fly truer – maintaining it’s intended flight path while ensuring greater control and accuracy shooting, sending or receiving a pass. Innovative visual science: The Total 90 Tracer also features a brightly colored graphic designed to deliver visual performance benefits to players. Up to 99% of a person’s eye sight is via their peripheral vision, under 1% is considered foveal, or focused vision. Based on this, Nike designers and visual scientists explored how the human eye locates and responds to the color and design of a football while in motion. The result is Total 90 Tracer’s high-contrast asymmetrical graphic designed to generate a strong visual signal, which captures peripheral vision and focuses central vision more rapidly. |