On the ball: does the AFL need to design a better footy? The AFL commissioned has a comprehensive review of the critical performance characteristics of Australian Rules footballs -- the first for more than 30 years. In the game of Australian Rules Football (as with other football codes), few pieces of equipment are more important than the football itself. And yet the relative attention paid to the ball by the AFL is quite at odds with the equipment's importance and the amount of money the league turns over. In fact, it's been well over 30 years since the AFL last looked at the specifications and standards that determine and prescribe how an Australian football should be manufactured. Changes In most other football codes, such as soccer, rugby league and rugby union, administrators have actively and regularly considered the playability and performance characteristics of the ball. In soccer in particular, new balls are designed for every major championship and several manufacturers try to steal market share from the leaders by introducing new and innovative products. This often involves the use of new synthetic materials, surface covers and panel composition. The fact there is much more competition between ball manufacturers in games such as rugby and soccer also drives innovation of playing equipment. Whatever the governing body deems to be the important performance characteristics of the ball need to be translated into competition-specific standards. Certain elements of ball performance may be singled out as characteristics becoming the focus of its (re)design. For