It may seem obvious that playing with footballs is a wonderful way to encourage minimal supervision free play.
And yet for most of our country’s history attempts have been made to ban football games.
Indeed between 1314 and 1667 for example, football was officially banned in over 30 royal and local laws. Edward II was so troubled that he issued a proclamation banning the game because it stopped citizens from practicing archery.
And it wasn’t just England. Phillippe V banned it in France in 1319. In Scotland James I banned it in 1424. Henry VIII issued several banning orders, not least because some of the matches were played with around 500 men and women aside.
Surprisingly the tradition of trying to stop football continued well into the 20th century with many parks containing “No ball games” notices.
Fortunately in these more enlightened times we do see the enormous benefit of letting children play with footballs. Doing so enhances fitness, encourages team play, develops physical skills, and brings huge enjoyment.
Thus it is indeed not surprising that the number of people who play five-a-side and other variations of the game as a way of having enjoyment and staying fit, can now be measured in the hundreds of thousands.
The average school child spends, during his/her primary school years, the equivalent of 260 full school days in the playground. So it is not surprising that the best selling item of play equipment across the UK is… the football.
And that’s why we sell everyday footballs from £3.58, training footballs from £4.58 and match footballs from £4.75. We also have felt balls (suitable for indoor training), mini footballs (for the busy playground), and lightweight inflatable balls.
If you would like help in choosing the right footballs for your pupils in various situations you can call us today on 01323 501040 or email sales@edventure.co.uk for more information.
Edventure Ltd
Hargreaves Business Park
Hargreaves Road
Eastbourne
East Sussex
BN23 6QW
Tel: 01323 50 10 40
Email: sales@edventure.co.uk