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LEGENDARY SINCE 1947 SELECT Sport was founded in 1947 by Eigil Nielsen, goalkeeper for the Danish national football team, who devoted his life to create the perfect ball. The name of the company was given because of the exclusive leather that was specially selected for the ball production. By producing many of the ball industry’s groundbreaking creations such as the first laceless football, the first ball with 32 panels and balls made of synthetic leather, SELECT naturally became a trendsetter. Back in 1951, SELECT signed a contract to supply balls for the Danish national football team, and in 1957 SELECT was appointed official supplier by the Danish Handball Federation. These partnerships have continued ever since and are some of the longest in the history of sport. A large number of agreements with both remarkable football and handball federations, clubs and players have since been made.
1947
Eigil Nielsen develops his first football and SELECT is born.
1951
SELECT presents the world’s first laceless football.
Today, SELECT is known as the ball specialist. Our footballs, futsal balls and handballs can be found in more than 50 countries, and we are the world’s largest supplier of handballs. More than three million different SELECT balls are produced each year through a close cooperation with Anwar Khawaja Industries in Pakistan. We have been developing balls for 70 years, and the passion for innovative craftsmanship still lives on in our daily work. Football, futsal and handball matches around the world are played with balls built on Eigil Nielsen’s original principle of 32 panels, just as most balls produced worldwide are based on SELECT’s inventions.
1962
SELECT presents the world’s first 32-panel football.
1972
SELECT presents the world’s first 32-panel handball.