It's time for transition.
After five years of collaboration with the German equipment manufacturer Uhlsport, the Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 championships are leaving for an identical lease with Kipsta, the football branch of the French company Decathlon, responsible for supplying them with balloons.
These were unveiled Thursday at the brand's design center in Tourcoing.
They required expert work to meet the requirements of professional players, and are already ready to go to the developer: that of the field.
To discover
Calendar and results Ligue 1
League 1 standings
What are the differences between the old and the new ball?
A balloon is a balloon, right?
In the design of the object itself, Kipsta recognizes a minimal difference with the one offered by Uhlsport for the 2021-22 season.
“
Technically, they are very close,
explains Antoine Le Cuziat, head of the design center in Tourcoing.
Most European championship balls fit in a handkerchief.
» Designed with heat-sealed panels (without sewing thread), in particular to resist water, these balloons most often stand out for their design.
And there, Kipsta innovated.
Sylvain Tilly, head designer at Kipsta, evokes "
intensity
" and "
rivalry
" as the main concepts for the design of this ball.
The intensity is intended to be represented by red and blue lines that face each other and meet at various places on the leather.
The rivalry is symbolized by the discreet inscription of different club names on the ball.
These are the 19 clubs that have been champions of France.
They are opposed to each other by favoring the notion of rivalry when it exists: Saint-Étienne and Lyon, Lille and Lens or Paris and Marseille to name but a few.
A way, too, to honor the 90th anniversary that the French championship will celebrate next year.
What is the difference between the Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 ball?
The two balls are perfectly identical in their design.
But they each have their own look.
Where the Ligue 1 ball emphasizes its blue-white-red color scheme, the Ligue 2 ball has a large presence of turquoise blue.
This is the flagship color of the L2, also visible on its logo.
The desire to anchor this visual identity goes without saying.
As for the “ more graphic style
” motifs
, they include the geography of France within them.
"
From the tip of Finistère to the Isle of Beauty, from the Aquitaine region to the lines of the Grand Est, the balloon honors the reliefs and borders of the territory
", indicates Kipsta in a press release.
Why are there several models planned for the season?
Kipsta has more than one trick up its sleeve.
For this 2022-23 season, there will be "
a first leg match ball, a return match ball and another for the winter
", confides Antoine Le Cuziat.
The winter ball is a must: in the event of bad weather conditions and especially snow, you need a very visible ball model, and whose predominant color is not white.
As for the difference on the home and away phase, Uhlsport has already used it this season.
From the 20th to the 38th day, the German equipment manufacturer had introduced a ball with a revised and more sober design.
The argument here seems to be rather commercial.
Read alsoThe manufacturing secrets of the 2022 World Cup ball "with the fastest trajectories ever seen"
When will we see this ball for the first time?
It will be necessary to wait until July 31 to see the first ball imagined by Kipsta roll in a match of a French competition.
But it will not be in Ligue 1, or even in France.
It will be the Champions Trophy on July 31, between Paris Saint-Germain and FC Nantes.
A relocated match in Tel Aviv, Israel.
Of course, the players will not discover the ball that day.
“
We are going to deliver 300 balls to each Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 club during the first half of June
,” informs Antoine Le Cuziat.
All the leisure to train with and tame it before the resumption of the championships in early August.
How much does the ball cost in the store?
The official ball will be sold at €80 each in the more than 300 Decathlon stores in France.
It will also be possible to buy a Replica version at 25€.
Same design, but a lower quality for a practice that wants to be amateur.
A mini version, which will be aimed at younger children, will also be on sale for €8.
