18 Aug Mini Footballs and the Pros and Cons of each type

Every year around this time we sell thousands and thousands of mini footballs.  These footballs are great for cheerleaders to throw out to the crowd at football games.  All of the mini footballs help to keep the crowd involved and excited.  There are 3 main mini football types that we sell and I’ll list the pros and cons of each.  Before I get into the various types of mini footballs, I’ll list the pros of all mini footballs.

Benefits of All Mini Footballs:

1. They help generate team spirit and excitement with the crowd.
2. They are fun.
3. They can be used as a marketing campaign when printed with the custom marketing info.
4. Great for pep rallies and for game day.

Plastic Mini Football
Pros:

1. These are the least expensive footballs.
2. Because they are the smallest option, the shipping is the least expensive for these footballs.
3. Because they are made from blow-molded plastic, they will never lose their air or shape.
4. 12 different colors to choose from:  Black, White, Blue, Red, Yellow, Orange, Green, Brown, Purple, Clear, Gold, or Glow in the Dark.

Cons:

1. Because the mini footballs are only about 6″ from tip to tip, the imprint area is the smallest out of the three footballs measuring 2″ W x 1.25″ H.  This are is plenty big enough to print your team name and mascot though.
2. Because these are so lightweight, they don’t throw quite as far as the vinyl or foam mini footballs.
3. Because they are made of molded plastic, the tips of these footballs are hard and can hurt someone if they are hit directly in the face.

Vinyl Mini Football
Pros:

1. These footballs are considerably larger than the plastic mini footballs.  They measure approximately 7″ in from tip to tip; however, the diameter of them is much larger, depending on how much they are inflated.
2. They have an athletic valve so you can add more air or deflate.
3. Because these are made of vinyl and are air filled, they are much softer.  They make a much better choice for indoor use or for children’s parties.
4. These footballs throw much farther and better than their plastic mini football counterpart because they have more weight to them.
5. The imprint area is larger on the vinyl mini footballs than on the plastic footballs measuring 2″ W x 1.5″ H, allowing your ad space to be a little larger.
6. 14 different colors to choose from:  Black, White, Brown, Burgundy, Pink, Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Purple, Gold, Silver, or Glow in the Dark.
7. This one is just my opinion (from over 10 years of selling them), but recipients will keep these vinyl footballs longer than the plastic footballs because they have more play value.

Cons:

1. They are more expensive than the plastic mini footballs, but only usually by 5 to 10 cents each.
2. They are a little more expensive to ship due to the size difference over the plastic mini footballs.
3. They will lose air after several months (but since they have an athletic valve, they can easily be re-inflated).

Foam Mini Footballs (Nerf type)
Pros:

1. Higher perceived value than plastic or vinyl footballs.
2. Throws better than plastic or vinyl footballs.
3. Kept for a long time by recipients because of the high play value.

Cons:

1. More expensive than plastic or mini footballs.
2. Can become water logged if played with in water.

While all three types of mini footballs have value, you have to decide on which type fits into your setting and budget.  The important thing is to help generate team spirit.  These spirit items are perfect for doing that.