Bet You Didn't Know How Much Technology Went Into This Stuff

At the Final Draw for the UEFA EURO 2008™ in Lucerne last December 2,2007, adidas and UEFA unveiled the adidas “EUROPASS”: the Official Ball of the competition. The ball’s new surface structure allows players to control and direct it perfectly in all weather conditions. The revolutionary PSC- Texture™ consists of a sophisticated and extremely fine structure on the ball’s outer skin that guarantees optimum grip between ball and boot.

The name “EUROPASS” refers to the common “EURO” pass between the two host countries of Austria and Switzerland. It also represents every pass the players will make on the pitch during UEFA EURO 2008™. Last but not least, it signifies the co-operation among all the fans who will make their way to Austria and Switzerland for the final competition.

The adidas “EUROPASS” combines tradition with modernity. Its classic colouring - a white base color with black dots – calls to mind the balls of bygone decades, yet its bonding with round dynamic elements in silver and red results in an innovative and very modern design which perfectly suits the host countries. Both countries combine tradition with creativity and a strong record of innovation in developing new products. The national flags of both countries have also been integrated into the ball design, with eight circles in a subtle silver effect. The 12 black dots contain individual graphic elements developed by UEFA to accompany the EURO logo. These elements stand for passion, friendship, action, training, fans and the winning goal, which appear as watermarks in the black dots of the adidas “EUROPASS”.

Like +Teamgeist™, the official match ball of the 2006 FIFA World Cup™, the adidas “EUROPASS” is constructed out of 14 panels using revolutionary Thermal Bonding Technology. This combined with the new PSC-Texture™ surface structure gives the “EUROPASS” its perfect handling characteristics and allows the players exceptional ball control. The unique outer skin improves power transmission, creates greater swerve and increases accuracy on the pitch, in all conceivable weather conditions. And for the goalkeeper too, providing a much better grip between glove and ball substantially improves his catching of the ball.

So to my good goal-keeping friends Rely San Agustin and Jerwin Belina, man, you could have used this EUROPASS. Not to say you guys weren't good. But don't we all wish we played with all this modern tech?