DECATHLON / KIPSTA REVEALS THE OFFICIAL MATCH BALLS OF THE UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE AND THE UEFA CONFERENCE LEAGUE
Balls will make their first appearance on September 25 and October 3 for the start of the league phases.
July 16, 2024
“Our partnership with UEFA highlights our commitment to every player, from the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League to local fields, and underscores our expertise recognised at football's highest levels. DECATHLON is dedicated to making top-tier football accessible to all players at all levels.” Celine del Genes, Global Chief Customer Officer at DECATHLON
DECATHLON / KIPSTA and the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) reveal the new collection of official balls for the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Conference League.
Used on the pitches for the 2024-2025 season, they will make their first appearance on September 25 and October 3 for the start of the league phases.
By becoming the supplier of official balls for these competitions for the next three seasons, DECATHLON / KIPSTA sees its technical know-how and expertise recognized at the highest levels of football. This prestigious partnership demonstrates the confidence placed in the quality and performance of DECATHLON / KIPSTA products, confirming its status as a true expert brand.
“Decathlon is delighted to embark on this wonderful partnership with UEFA as the official match ball supplier of UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League. By our ball being selected, it supports and confirms our continuous efforts on producing quality and high technical products, in which they have the capacity to be used at the highest level of the sporting game.” Fabien Brosse, Global Chief Sports and Products Officer at DECATHLON
FIFA QUALITY PRO labeled balls since 2016.
All DECATHLON / KIPSTA products have been imagined, created and tested in France since 1998. For more than a quarter of a century, the brand has designed products for footballers, whatever their level.
By embarking on the development of an offer exclusively dedicated to the practice of football, DECATHLON / KIPSTA has chosen to focus primarily on shoes and balls.
Since 2016, the brand has developed its expertise by offering “top-of-the-range” balls meeting FIFA QUALITY PRO standards, a label certifying a very high level of performance, precision and safety.
Eight years later, UEFA appointed KIPSTA, the football signature of DECATHLON, as supplier of official balls for the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Conference League for 3 years, over the period 2024-2027.
“We are thrilled to announce KIPSTA as the official match ball supplier for the first time as we join forces with a brand that shares our passion for innovation, quality and the love of the game. KIPSTA’s experience in providing top-quality balls and commitment to the sport will be tremendous assets as the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Europa Conference League enter into new eras.” Guy-Laurent Epstein, UEFA Marketing Director
State-of-the-art balls
The technology used for the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League balls is heat-sealing (ball without sewing thread). These balls offer heightened playing sensations thanks to the textured microfiber component, accompanied by foams and grooves. Exclusive design from DECATHLON / KIPSTA, their particular characteristic is great trajectory stability.
In addition to normative tests, the DECATHLON / KIPSTA Certification Unit, made up of field test engineers, also carries out in-use tests to design, but also objectively compare, the performance of the balloons via:
- specific protocols and tests linked to the use of products,
- recruiting qualified testers to evaluate product functions,
- analysis of results, via statistical tools.
These tests cover general aspects, such as durability, resistance, or still sustainable inflation, as well as five functions reflecting the technicality of theball.
High-level requirements at the heart of product development
Professional players, brand ambassadors on the pitch, wear goalkeeper cleats or gloves during their matches in official competitions. The opportunity to test DECATHLON / KIPSTA products at the highest level and, for the brand, to demonstrate its expertise, progress further and thus be able to continue to offer the best range of products, accessible to all.
Throughout the year, in order to support DECATHLON / KIPSTA in its process of continuous progress, these ambassadors exchange views, participate in workshops and propose improvements which are listened to, analyzed and implemented on the various prototypes.
In its desire to allow everyone to play football according to their own objectives and desires, the same products are offered to all players, whether professional or amateur.
In France, professional clubs have been using the different developments of these balls for 3 years in official competitions and for 2 years in Belgium. Their players actively participate in the continuous improvement of DECATHLON / KIPSTA balls.
Technical characteristics:
Bladder : the bladder is a “High Rebound Advanced” bladder to which Polyester textile panels are glued, for optimal sphericity, pressure resistance and rebound quality.
Paneling : the ball is made up of 12 textured microfiber Polyurethane (PU) panels combined with POE (Polyolefin Elastomer) foam to meet the highest technical requirements.
Manufacturing process : the 12 panels are heat-sealed, for better sphericity and resistance. The grooves on the exterior surface guarantee excellent trajectory stability.
“Football is a sport that completely embodies DECATHLON’s Ready-To-Play motto. It can be played anywhere, by anyone, as long as you have a group of people and a ball. KIPSTA aims at providing the only crucial element to each match, therefore enhancing every player’s experience on a field, whether it is for professional ones during a UEFA match, or in a school playground for young beginners.” Frédéric Boistard, Federated Sports Director at DECATHLON.
A graphic symbol of performance:
The graphics worked on these balls feature the colors of the two competitions: orange for the UEFA Europa League and green for the UEFA Conference League. It also reinterprets the energy lines of their logo. Sharp for one, rounded for the other.
The graphic DNA of the ball, balanced across its entire surface, helps players understand the ball and its movements in space, particularly during rotations in the air or at ground level. Graphic details inspired by movement create the effect of speed and explosiveness. They contrast with the white color of the component which, through its purity, highlights the guarantee of quality, technicality and performance of the balls.
The “replica” and “mini-balls” have the same panels and graphics.
The balls are now available at a price of 80 euros online and in all DECATHLON stores.
ABOUT KIPSTAThe brand of all DECATHLON team sports, Kipsta has specialized in the design of football products since 2016. Based in the North of France, the brand's mission is to sustainably improve the daily lives of all footballers. Kipsta is part of an approach to excellence, providing its users with high-performance products, including at the highest level and at the most accessible price possible.
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