In 1879 Sherrin opened a factory at 32 Wellington Street in Collingwood. The first Australian rules football was invented by Sherrin himself 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. The sport known as football, or "footy", was rapidly increasing in popularity, and Sherrin footballs soon became the icon for being the first ball made for Australian rules football. The new shaped ball was so quickly accepted that the National Football League of Australia eventually used the size and shape as standard. Sherrin began production in 1897 in a workshop in Collingwood, which had produced a variety of leather sporting goods since 1880, including footballs, cricket balls, boxing gloves and punching balls. The quality of Sherrin's goods was widely regarded. The company was sold in 1972 to the Australian subsidiary of Spalding. In 2003 Spalding was acquired by the Russell Corporation, which would become part of Fruit of the Loom three years later. Sherrin still makes its footballs by hand in Scoresby, Victoria.
Products
Specifications
Full-Size Ball
720mm circumference.
540mm circumference.
Sizes, models and colours
Models of the Sherrin football include:
KB : The full and correct playing size for adult men's competition, made to AFL and most other league specifications.
Size 4.5 : Slightly smaller than a full-sized ball, made to women's league specifications.
Size 4: Smaller than the KB model, popular among players aged 10–13. Usually made from rubber synthetic
Size 3: Smaller again, and popular among players aged 6–10. Usually made from rubber synthetic
Lyrebird: Made by Sherrin but slightly different in comparison with other Sherrin models and sizes, with a slightly pointier angle for easier kicking and marking. The Lyrebird model is around $40 cheaper than the KB Sherrin, because of the lower quality and durability. Made from Indian imported leather
"Soft-Touch": These are made in all sizes, but are made with a soft-dense rubber rather than leather or rubber synthetic, to give the ball a "soft-touch"
Colours, rubber or leather, different sizes: These are factors for the player/consumer to decide. Sizes 3 and 4 are popular among children aged 6–13, while genuine leather, full-sized KB models are popular among players aged 14+, beginners, intermediate, or advanced players. AFL club colours, mascots and logos printed on various sizes of the Sherrin are also popular with fans of the club and players.
The meaning of "Kangaroo Brand"
The term "Kangaroo Brand" refers to a type of Sherrin football. When T.W. Sherrin started manufacturing footballs, several models were produced, but the "Kangaroo Brand" was Sherrin’s best-selling, highest-quality, and most favoured and traditional football.
After a 12-month-long investigation, The Saturday Age, a Melbourne newspaper, claimed that "two of Australia's best-known football brands, Sherrin and Canterbury, have operations in India that use banned child labour." The children took an hour to make one AFL ball and were paid 7 rupees per ball, amounting to $1 a day. That claim was in direct contradiction to the company website that claimed the balls were made in Scoresby, Victoria. A follow-up investigation by Fairfax Mediain September 2013 revealed that another brand of rugby ball was being stitched using illegal child labour in Jalandhar, Punjab, for sale in Australia.
