Nike has released its new Flight ball for the 2020/21 Premier League that has geometric grooves and sculpted chevrons to reduce drag.
The product of eight years of research and development by the Nike Equipment Innovation Lab ? and 1,700 hours of testing ? the Flight ball grants 30 per cent more accurate flight trajectory than its predecessor.
The ball, which was released on Nike's website on 29 June, will be used in the next 2020/21 Premier League season.
It incorporates Nike's new patented AerowSculpt technology, which sees moulded grooves indented across its surface ? much like how the dimples on a golf ball function.
Nike's Flight ball will be used in the next 2020/21 Premier League season
As Nike explains, while all footballs have some unpredictable movement in flight, if the ball is entirely smooth then it is more likely to be gripped by the air, causing turbulence and thus frequent changes in direction. "These shifts can result in misplaced long balls, derailing a potentially fruitful counter, or shots that stray off goal," the brand added.
The football is covered in grooves to reduce drag
The indentations in the Flight ball work to reduce "wobble", offering a more predictable and consistent flight, by encouraging air to move around the ball instead of gripping its surface.

"The construction started with a square-shaped Aerotrack groove," explained Kieran Ronan, head of Nike Global Football Equipment.
"Over the course of the 68 ite...