The Telstar Football by

The Adidas Telstar was made of leather and consisted of 32 panels; 20 of which were white hexagons and 12 were black pentagons which made up the iconic design and it became the symbol of football.

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According to Select; the design was actually first invented and designed by Eigil Nielsen and the Danish company Select in 1962. There is no evidence of Select taking Adidas to court over this.

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The Telstar is one of the most significant objects in football history because it represents the globalisation, commercialisation, marketing and branding of football.

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The Telstar represents the modernisation of football with adaptations to the rules of the game also taking place in the 1970 World Cup to allow for red and yellow cards and substitutions, as well as the introduction and use of the Telstar football.

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The first World Cup tournament in 1930 saw two different types of football balls being used during the Final. This was due to Uruguay and Argentina wanting to both choose their own footballs that they had been used to playing with.

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Football during the 1970s saw the influence of brands such as Adidas and Nike grow by capitalising on a desire to increase the standards of the game. The Telstar represents football being modernised in this period and it would be followed by technological and scientific improvements to football equipment such as improved boots and improved sports science and nutrition for the players' training, diets and lifestyles.

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The Telstar shares a name with the Telstar Satellite launched in 1962 almost a decade before the 1970 World Cup. The Telstar Satellite was the first active communications satellite, and it successfully made the first transatlantic television transmission.

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There is speculation that this satellite inspired the design and name of the Adidas Telstar ball due to the similarities. The FIFA Museum have been quoted saying that the Telstar football's name was inspired by the Telstar Satellite and that it resembles the satellite.

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The 1970 World Cup was the first broadcast globally and it was also the first World Cup broadcast in colour. Colour television was rare at this time but the unique images this produced helped make the Adidas Telstar a significant image in the global collective memory of football.

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The 1970 World Cup was hosted in Mexico and is considered one of the greatest ever World Cup tournaments.

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The impact of the success of Brazil and Pele in this tournament, and the quality of football on display in this first World Cup in which the Telstar football was what helped forge the Telstar's lasting legacy.

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An estimated 20 Telstar balls were produced for the tournament itself and some alternative older leather footballs had to be used in a few games due to the small number of Telstar balls available however the Telstar was predominantly used.

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Adidas went on to sell around 600,000 Telstar footballs after the tournament. This is significant because the Telstar football was an early sign of the profit and opportunity that could come from commercialisation and sponsorship in football.

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Adidas continue to have the monopoly of producing the World Cup footballs with the designs being highly anticipated each tournament.

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Future World Cup footballs would feature homages to the host countries like the Aztec ball used in Mexico 1986, which was also be the first fully synthetic World Cup football; another sign of Adidas' role in improving football equipment and technology.

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The Telstar's legacy is seen in the portrayals of football in popular media like cinema, television and art. For example the Telstar football is used in a 1997 episode of the Simpsons.

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Despite the constant modernisation and commercialisation of the game meaning that design of footballs have been constantly adapting since 1970, the Telstar remains the symbol of football to this day.

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Adidas demonstrate the significant legacy of the original Telstar ball by producing the Telstar 18 as the official ball for the 2018 Russian World Cup. The Telstar 18 has the same iconic design but adapted with pixelated areas on the black pentagons to show the transition from the satellite age to the digital age.

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Since producing the Telstar as their first official World Cup ball; Adidas has played a significant role in football having become a key supplier of equipment within the football world. Their sponsorships with some of the world's most successful clubs; Real Madrid and Manchester United for example and also working with the most significant football federations such as FIFA shows the success of Adidas' marketing and the legacy of the Telstar.

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It also demonstrates the cultural significance of the World Cup as a tournament with the 1970 World Cup producing this lasting image in our cultural memory and our subconscious of the stereotypical black and white football ball.

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Uruguay were losing 2-1 initially in the first half while playing with Argentina’s preferred ball and then went on to win 4-2 while using their preferred ball in the second half. This jeopardized the credibility of the World Cup tournament and the 1930 World Cup Final result comes under scrutiny because of this. The controversy caused by the use of two different balls showed that the standardisation of football equipment was necessary.

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The Telstar demonstrates the evolution of football balls with previous versions being made of heavy brown leather and heavy lacing. The Telstar was made from leather similar to that of previous footballs however it differed due it being lighter, having a plastic durlast coating which made the ball slightly more waterproof and it consisted of more panels to make the ball rounder. Inside the ball there was also a modernised latex rubber bladder with an air valve.

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However, Select being first to create this ball can be proven true through photo evidence of the 1965 European Cup Final in which a football resembling the Telstar is used. This design was taken and then popularised by Adidas. Since then it has been maintained in public memory due to the entertainment value of the 1970 World Cup and its lasting imprint on public memory.

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The Telstar being considered the typical football ball most would think of when asked to describe one is due to the influence and impact of the 1970 World Cup. This made the Telstar have a huge impact on the global image and cultural memory of football.

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It represents the commercialisation of the game due to the Telstar ball used in 1970 being Adidas’ first involvement in providing World Cup balls. Adidas have produced the World Cup balls every tournament since.

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Adidas sources say the name Telstar is short for television star due to its design and colours being chosen in an attempt for the ball to stand out well in black and white television as most spectators would be watching on non colour televisions. The adaptation from the previous tournaments' use of dark brown leather balls allowed those watching as the World Cup was broadcast globally for the first time to get a clearer view of the ball with the Telstar design.

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This is an example of an emerging big brand in football, Adidas, improving the technology and equipment in football but also doing so while trying to cater to football audiences and trying to produce a brand image to entice the purchase of their products.

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Adidas boots are also on display in some of the attached photos as a further example of this.

Historian Barbra Smit discusses the growing commercialisation in football; In 1970 Adidas and Puma were battling it out for player sponsorships, with Puma paying Pele a deal of $25,000 to play in their boots during the tournament and offering him a further $100,000 to sponsor him for the following four years. This provided Puma with an opportunity to advertise their boots to the world while this tournament was broadcast globally. Just as Adidas did with advertising their Telstar ball.

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These changes implemented on the Telstar footballs helped to improve the quality and quickened the pace of the football matches played with them. The 1970 World Cup in which it was used is still highly regarded for the fast attacking football on show.

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Adidas were first given the contracts by FIFA to produce the Telstar as the official World Cup ball after the success they had shown supplying balls for the 1968 Olympics. Adidas received good reviews from the Mexican Football Federation after supplying the balls for the Olympics; this encouraged FIFA to pick Adidas as suppliers for the World Cup.

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The Telstar 18 ball even had a Near Field Communications (NFC) smart chip integrated which reflects the technological advancements in football since the use of the original Telstar in 1970. The NFC chip allowed for a basic level of interaction with the ball via connecting to a mobile app. The app would give consumers information about the used match balls and also Adidas advertisement.

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