How to make a football from plastic bags

Football is a universal language. Children are brilliant at finding patches of grass or dirt to start a game using bags, shoes or stones to form goal posts. And when it comes to sourcing a ball, the creativity doesn’t stop. We’ve seen kids use banana leaves, rags, and plastic bags to make their own handmade balls.

This summer, why not have a go at making your own homemade football. This is a great activity to run as part of a youth group, holiday club or with your own kids. And the best news? It helps recycle and repurpose some of those old plastic bags you might have at home. With the Euros well and truly underway, why not hold your own football tournament using your homemade ball?

To make a football, you will need:

20 plastic bags
A newspaper
String or garden twine
Scissors

1) Scrunch up some newspaper to form the centre of your football (about the size of a large orange).

2) Place the paper ball in the first bag. Pull the bag around your paper ball and twist a couple of times.

3) Wrap the remaining part of the bag over the ball again, twisting to secure. For larger bags, you may need to repeat this process a few times.

4) Tie the ends off neatly, trying not to create any lumps.

5) Repeat adding more and more bags until you’re happy with the size. Try to space out the tied-off ends, so you keep a circular shape.

6) Use a thicker plastic bag for the last layer, as this will make your ball durable.

7) Wrap your string or twine around the ball a couple of times and knot to secure. Then turn the ball 90 degrees and repeat. Continue to do this until you’ve worked your way around the ball. For added strength try weaving the string in and out.