Jabulani finds new life in footgolf as boxed balls fetch £500-plus
Ben Clarke and other leading footgolfers have adopted the Adidas Jabulani — the ball created for the 2010 World Cup — as their preferred ball on footgolf courses, and boxed examples are now selling for upwards of £500 as of 27 September 2026.
Footgolf, a sport that tasks players with kicking a ball around a course and into 18 oversized holes in as few strokes as possible, prizes precision and consistent ball performance. About once a month, Hertfordshire-based Ben Clarke, who has topped the footgolf world rankings five times, inflates his collection of Jabulani footballs to keep them match-ready. The Jabulani was widely criticised when introduced for the 2010 World Cup: Fabio Capello called it “the worst ball that I have seen in my life”, David James labelled it “dreadful”, Júlio César compared it to “one of those you buy in the supermarket”, and Robinho said “the guy who designed this ball never played football”.
The technical makeup that angered footballers is the same trait prized by footgolfers. Constructed from eight thermally bonded panels – a decrease from the 14 in its 2006 World Cup Adidas Teamgeist predecessor – the Jabulani reduced seams to a bare minimum, creating the smoothest, roundest ball ever made. When struck with minimal spin at high speeds it produced a chaotic knuckle-ball effect for footballers, but for footgolfers who use the inside of the foot to impart consistent spin the reduced seams help the ball travel farther than other models.
A shortage of the original Adidas models from that era has driven prices higher. Elite footgolf demand combined with models being out of production for close to 15 years has pushed boxed Jabulanis to commanding sums on the secondary market. “They are getting rarer and more expensive,” Clarke says, adding that he owns three boxed Jabulanis alongside other Adidas balls from the same period. “I haven’t bought one for a few years, just because of how expensive they are. The last one I got was around £250 about three years ago, but they are now £500 or more. It can be an expensive mistake if you kick it into a tree and it bursts.”
Officials in the sport see a finite supply and little prospect of a fresh run from Adidas. Sean Rontree, a director of footgolf’s governing body in England, says he holds three Jabulanis and three Speedcells and warns of dwindling availability: “There will come a time when there won’t be any more on the market,” he says. “Adidas won’t entertain making any more. We’ve had conversations with them, but the numbers they would have to ask for to make it profitable – around 10,000 balls – were out of our reach.”
That shortage has prompted manufacturers to target the footgolf market, particularly the 1,200 players who competed in this summer’s Footgolf World Cup in Mexico. Brands including FGB (Malaysia), Squb (the Netherlands), Triero (Britain) and Birdie (Brazil) have launched footgolf-specific balls retailing at about £100. FGB founder Jeffrey Cottam says their product is improving through successive iterations: “I think, overall, our ball is superior in terms of quality and not needing repairs,” he said. “But in terms of trying to beat the Jabu, I don’t think anyone is there yet. The hardest bit is distance. Our ball is maybe five, six, seven metres behind the Jabu. We want to replicate the bounce of the Jabu, because that thing continuously bounces down the fairway. I’m trying to bring out a ball next year that beats the Jabu in all departments. There has to be a ball that comes out which is just as competitive as it. It’s the natural course of things.”
Clarke accepts the impracticality of relying on a dwindling stock and keeps working to maintain his collection: “It’s bizarre what we have to do to extend the life of a ball, just so it’s there when we need it,” he says. “One of them gave up on me last week and started chucking air out of one of the panels, so maybe I didn’t pump it up enough. The world of footgolf and balls is ridiculous.”
Manufacturers are attempting to produce a true successor, with FGB’s Jeffrey Cottam specifically aiming to release an improved model next year: “I’m trying to bring out a ball next year that beats the Jabu in all departments.”