In many ‘developing’ countries, boys and young men collect discarded plastic bags and weave them to make footballs. It is easy to assume that they only play with such footballs because they can’t afford to buy ‘real’ ones.
Conversations with young men in Tanzania tell a different story. Plastic-bag footballs are perfectly suited to their playing surfaces: streets, vacant lots, paddocks and beaches. Their design can be altered to suit players’ needs. For instance, if a heavy football is desired, they fill it with sand. If they want a light football, they use mattress foam. Plastic-bag footballs don’t bounce around too much and are easy to control on uneven ground. They are straightforward to repair and comfortable to play with, especially with bare feet.
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