When I first started playing soccer in school, it was normal to go through many soccer balls.
Playing on a rough surface like concrete, a ball’s shelf life was always going to be limited.
Therefore any ball we brought in, we would always find it deflating naturally over time.
Now, of course, I always wondered why it did this.
Especially since we would always be spending time searching for a soccer pump, which ate into our playing time.
Or worst case scenario having to chuck it away, which I will explain more on later.
So, as a result, I went ahead and did some research for you to get a good idea of why exactly this happens.
Along with some solutions and tips to help stop a football from going down as quickly.
Table of Contents
Why Do Soccer Balls Deflate?
From the second you pump up a ball, it will start to deflate and lose air.
This is because the ball isn’t absolutely air-tight, and gradually air will be lost from inside.
The good news is that this typically happens very slowly, especially if the ball is in good condition or new.
It has no bearing on how hard you kick it. It will just slowly deflate over time.
Now, apart from it naturally losing air, the ball will also deflate if its punctured.
When a puncture happens, there will be a small hole on the ball that isn’t the valve that will cause the ball to go down quickly.
If you have a puncture, you will want to either repair it or chuck it away.
Does Deflating A Soccer Ball Make A Difference?
Deflating a soccer ball on purpose can make a big difference, especially if the ball is pumped up too much.
When a ball is pumped up to the max, you will find it harder and even painful to kick the ball.
This is due to the pressure inside the ball being so high. Because of this, it becomes quite fragile to a point where it could pop.
So finding that medium point between a fully pumped up ball and an almost flat ball is quite important.
As on the pitch, you do notice the difference if you aren’t able to move the ball as well.
Where deflating a soccer ball doesn’t tend to change anything is when the ball has a bad shape or is losing air.
If the shape is so wrong that it looks like an egg than a round ball, its a sign that you should replace it.
This happens more commonly with cheaper balls, as they’re not made of the best materials around.
In terms of losing air, purposely deflating it a little bit or a lot won’t stop air coming out, especially if you have a puncture, as I mentioned above.
How Long Do Soccer Balls Last?
As we have established, soccer balls are bound to go down once you pump them up.
However, how long it lasts depends on the condition of the ball.
I have found that with a ball that is either new or in good condition, you can expect it to last 1-2 weeks.
Before, you will need to pump it up to get to that perfect overall feel that will give you a good experience.
For a ball that is struggling and coming to the last of its days, whether that be because its starting to rip or has a puncture will last a lot less time.
If its at this stage, a ball could literally last from anywhere from 5 seconds to an hour.
If there is a big hole in the ball, it will mean that any air you put in will immediately exit it.
Now, if its not in a few seconds, it will be within a few kicks of the ball instead.
Does The Weather Impact Soccer Balls?
It isn’t the ball losing air naturally or a puncture causing the ball to deflate. It can be because of the temperature.
When the temperature increases in the summer or decreases in the winter, it can affect the air inside.
Scientific research backs up the theory that due to the energy of the molecules changing in reaction to the temperature can affect how quickly a ball deflates.
If the weather is warm, molecules will move faster as opposed to if there cold.
The less they move around, the quicker air can dispense from the ball.
So while this can have an effect on the ball, its not really worth worrying about as its not something you can control.
As long as you have a football pump in the house, you will be able to refill the air of the ball easily if it does go down quicker then expected.
How Do I Stop A Ball From Deflating?
If you have a ball that is completely fine and not broken, the way to stop it from deflating is to have a ball pump close by.
That way, when it does start to deflate over the 1 -2 week span I was talking about above, you can get it straight back up to the ideal air pressure.
You can get a ball pump that does the job for around $10. You don’t need an expensive one.
Just as long as it puts air in the ball without damaging the ball, it should be fine.
That is the solution to stopping the ball from deflating if its not damaged.
However, if it is, it is quite frustrating as you will be left with only a few options.
Especially if its going down so quickly that you can’t even get a few kicks of it before it does.
Now the option I recommend is to get some glue and put it into the hole of puncture.
If you don’t know where it is, you want to press the ball slightly and listen to where the air is coming from.
As with these holes, they can be so small that you might not be able to pick up on them at first.
Now, if the ball isn’t expensive or you would rather not go through trying to save it.
Then what I would do in that position is buy a new ball.
Conclusion
There isn’t a great deal you can do to stop them from deflating when it comes to soccer balls.
If its going down really fast, it will typically be because of a hole on the ball, and therefore you can glue it together.
I hope this post gives you a bit of perspective on why do soccer balls deflate and gives you the answers you were looking for.
Now, if you do have some questions remaining, don’t hesitate to let me know by commenting down below 🙂
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