Australia’s National Gridiron League Introduces Game Ball

| Australia | 03/11/2015

The National Gridiron League (NGL) introduces custom designed football for new league. 

The league bills itself as a fully professional domestic league and last month unveiled the Brisbane Outlaws as its first team ahead of an August 2016 kick off.

The ball design reflects the league’s colour theme and enhances the effect on the field to create a great spectator experience. Although the league is committed to retaining as much tradition as possible, it is at the same time actively exploring ways to instil its identity. The design is not new and is common in leagues throughout North America.

The design is a blue panel, a red panel and two white panels dividing the red and blue. The lace side white panel will feature the league logotype and the other white panel will feature an exclusive ball sponsor. The ball will be made up of an inflated (12 1/2 to 13 1/2 pounds) urethane bladder enclosed in a pebble grained, leather case. The size and weight will be: long axis, 11 to 11 1/4 inches; long circumference, 28 to 28 1/2 inches; short circumference, 21 to 21 1/4 inches with a weight of 14 to 15 ounces.

The ball will make its debut in the opening week of the regular season of 2016 and will be available for purchase through NGL Shop and selected outlets.

The NGL

The NGL has an ambitious agenda, aiming to launch a nine-team competition next year with South-East Queensland teams in Brisbane, Gold Coast, Logan City and the Sunshine Coast, twoSydney sides, and one each from Wollongong, Newcastle, Canberra and Perth.

Teams will have a minimum of 10 Australian players on their rosters, with the rest likely to be international imports.

John McKeon is a former professional and collegiate American Football player and coach now living and working in New York. His goal is to spread news, information, and opinion on the global growth of the sport he loves.