This month's Premier League matches will see the debut of the Nike Premier League 21-22 Winter Ball. We take a look at the full history of the Nike Hi-Vis Premier League soccer balls, which are "designed for optimized visibility during the dark months".
REVEALED: Here Are All 17 Premier League Balls by Nike Since 2000
English Premier League Ball History
Picture via Pro Direct Soccer.
The story starts in 2004 when Nike released the first-ever Hi-Vis Premier League football, based on the Nike Total 90 Aerow I model. The hi-vis Nike Total 90 Aerow I first gen ball was used for two season before being replaced with the Nike Total 90 Aerow II in 2006. Since the 2008-09 season and the release of the Nike Total 90 Omni, Nike released a new Premier League winter hi-vis ball every year.
The designs of the Nike Hi-Vis Premier League footballs have changed a lot throughout the years. While Nike first jut replaced the white color of the regular season ball with yellow the Swoosh brand started to add more striking accent colors for an even brighter look. The shade of yellow also got more "electric", especially compared to the first models.
However, while the Hi-Vis editions have certainly been a success in terms of marketing and people's awareness of the ball, the yellowish are not really better in terms of visibility for spectators. The biggest advantage is for players when the ball is in front of shining white floodlights.
Recently, Nike have started to release a new version of its Premier League ball for the last phase of the season, further "exhausting" its contract with the Premier League.
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Nike Flight 2021 Premier League Ball Leaked
In total, Nike have released 16 different Hi-Vis winter footballs for the Premier League so far.
What's your favorite Hi-Vis Premier League football? Are you a fan of the new Hi-Vis concept? Comment below, and see all Premier League balls since 2000 on the Premier League's official website.