How the ball came to be

Play Anywhere | Never Goes Flat

Darfur refugees inspired the One World Futbol – Sting helped make it a reality

Young Darfur refugees were engrossed in a makeshift game of soccer under the hot sun—with the “ball” a sphere made of trash tied up with twine and the “field” a patch of dirt and rocks with barbed wire for boundaries. Their game was captured on film by a CNN crew. Watching this footage at home, Tim Jahnigen, an inventor, song-writer, and music producer, imagined that these kids might have once had a regular soccer ball, which had worn out or been punctured by use in such a harsh setting—or perhaps the ball was deflated but the needle was lost or the pump broken. Tim was inspired to design a ball that played like a “real futbol,” but would never wear out, never go flat, never need a pump. Such a ball could match the joy and determination of people to play “the beautiful game” of soccer—anywhere.

Tim’s idea remained in the concept stage until a chance conversation with the entertainer Sting, with whom Tim produces a bi-annual concert at Carnegie Hall. Once Tim shared his vision of an indestructible soccer ball, Sting offered to donate money for R&D, and so the first “One World Futbol”, now patent-pending, was born. In recognition of his crucial early support, the name of the ball and of the project were based on the song “One World,” written by Sting.