As a youth football coach and father of a 12-year-old who plays the game, I can attest that having and using the right size football for your child's age is important. For that reason, please see the chart below relative to what size is right for your player. Unfortunately, the different manufacturers are a little inconsistent with designation of ball sizes, sometimes calling everything 'youth'. Our league uses a K2-sized ball players in grades 1-4. Our 5th and 6th graders use a Junior sized ball. The middle school uses Youth-sized balls. Given that football is a big sport in our household, I have had the opportunity to 'test' several brands of balls from Wilson, Nike, Under Armour, Champro and now Rawlings. The make and quality of these balls vary greatly. Historically, REAL leather balls have been considered 'premium' and usually cost more. But interestingly, I have found that kids today do not like them. Last year, our league bought the really nice leather Wilson GST balls with stitched-on tacky stripes, and none of the kids liked them - they all said they were too 'hard' and slick. And I actually agree with them on that point. As a result, this year we got composite Wilson GST balls and they like them better, but still not as well as we hoped. The kids continue to prefer the composite balls from Nike (and UA, to a degree), which are 'tackier' and easier to catch. That said, I personally like the Wilson GST composites better. So where does this Rawlings R2 composite ball fall on the spectrum? To me, it's kind of a lower-end replication of the Nike balls, perhaps on par with UA, but certainly better than Champro. The Nike and Rawlings balls are definitely more sticky than the Wilson ball. The composite cover is VERY tacky and grippy, though not so much so that you can't throw it. It is probably one of the tackier balls I've used, which can give it a little bit of a cheap feel. That said, I may take it to a game this weekend where it is supposed to be rainy just in case we need something with more tack. The 'stitched stripe' construction is somewhat of an anomaly - the stripes appear (to me) to be painted on, and then stitched around. I don't understand the reasoning for this other than the stitches may provide a little bit of benefit to feel when throwing. The rubberized laces are also very grippy, which can help kids hang on to it. Rawlings claims the R2 ball has 'aerial patterns for the best performance' - I do not know what they mean by this. The pebbled texture is the same classic texture you find on most balls. I will say that I like a football to be smooth and even all the way around. The R2 ball seems to be uneven... as in, if I run my fingers from one section of the ball to the next, I can feel the 'bump' between sections. Perhaps this is supposed to aid in how the ball spirals? I don't know, and can't really test the science of that. But inevitably, that is why I deducted one star - I just didn't like that it felt like it was not uniformly shaped (and the fact that the stitched stripes seems pointless). Overall, not a bad ball, but I'd certainly comparison shop. Sometimes it's best to go into a store first and let your kid try various balls to see which ones they like best, as that will be the one they play with. The $50 leather ball I bought for my son sits unused, while the $12 Wilson ball I got on clearance (and now this R2 ball) seem to get the most playing time. Go figure. FOOTBALL SIZE CHART SIZE - TYPE - BEST FOR 9 - Official - Ages 14 and up (Size approved for high school, collegiate, and pro use.) 8 - Youth - Ages 12 - 14 (Middle School ages - for Wilson, this is a 'TDY' ball) 7 - Junior - Ages 10 - 12 (for Wilson, this is a 'TDJ' ball) 6 - Pee-Wee - Ages 9 and younger (also known as a K2 ball) 5 - Mini - Miniature football best for small kids
