Sherrin

An Australian football. The Sherrin brand is used for all official AFL matches, whilst Burley brand is also used for Australian football.

Sherrin is a popular brand of ball used in Australian rules football and is the official ball of the Australian Football League, designed to its official specifications. It was the first ball designed specifically for the sport.

Sherrin footballs are manufactured by Spalding in India from cow hide lined and machine-stitched.

Specifications

720-735mm circumference.
545-555mm from end to end.

History

Invented by T.W. Sherrin in 1880, when he was given a misshapen rugby ball to fix. He designed the Sherrin with indented rather than pointy ends to give the ball a better bounce.

Sherrin began production in 1897 in a workshop in Collingwood, which had produced sporting goods since the 1880s.

High profile leagues that endorse Sherrin as the official ball include:

Sherrin vs Burley

Burley is another popular brand of football made in Australia. The Burley brothers began manufacturing Burley brand footballs in East Perth in 1907.

Both Sherrin and Burley balls must fit strict dimensions (including weight), however Burley are typically less expensive.

The bladders are identical. Both balls are made using leather from the same Victorian tannery.

Leagues that endorse Burley as the official ball include:

Australia
* SANFL
* WAFL
* AFL NSW/ACT
International
* USAFL (United States)
* BARFL (UK)
* AFL Canada
* ARFLI (Ireland)

Many believe that the AFL should dump the Sherrin in favour of the local Burley brand. However despite minor differences some players and umpires have complained about difficulties adjusting between the two.

The AFL has used the Sherrin ball since the 1880's. This factor, along with the ball often being colloquially referred to by fans and commentators as "the Sherrin", means that Burley is unlikely to be picked up as the official ball of the AFL.

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