'How we designed the Westfield FFA Cup 2016 ball'

Read the story behind the new Westfield FFA Cup 2016 ball!

The Westfield FFA Cup draw for the Round of 32 was an extra special event for two creative football fans who unveiled their design of the new Cup ball on the Fox Sports broadcast. 

11-year-old Jake Creasey from Adelaide and 25-year-old James Officer from Wollongong both entered a contest to design the official FFA Cup ball for the 2016 version of the competition. 

And on Thursday, the pair got to see the final design of the ball, one which combined elements of both their ideas and concepts, at Fox Sports as the broadcaster went through the live draw. 

This was the first time Jake and James had met and first time they got to see the final design of their ball.

For keen drawer and junior footballer Jake, who time off from school to fly to Sydney, it was a proud day not to mention just a little exciting.

“I like drawing and I like football too,” Jake told www.theffacup.com.au

“I’m very excited. I can’t believe I’ve got my own football. My design looks better than expected.

“I’ll be excited to see it in the shops.”

In the design process, Jake spent hours online researching different types of footballs from around the ball.

And with feedback from his mum and dad, the ball’s look slowly came to life on the page.

One unique design feature is the fact that the names of the 648 clubs that competed in last year's competition are printed on the ball.

Jake promised he’d bring the ball to school on Friday back in Adelaide, in what could be a very unique show and tell.

“I can’t believe I got a day off school to fly over to Sydney,” he said, excitedly.

“Tomorrow at school, I’m going to say I designed the ball. I’ll bring the ball to school and explain how I did it with fitting in all the names of the clubs.”

Meanwhile, James printed actual versions of the ball's panels then stuck them together to help him nail down the design by seeing it in real life.

“I was probably a little more analytical in my approach while Jake was probably more impulsive,” said James, who paid tribute to young Jake's work. 

A close-up of the 2016 Westfield FFA Cup ball

And for Jake, he’s hopeful his football design days will continue.

“Maybe I can design the A-League ball?” he asked. 

The creative duo will be guests of the FFA at the final of the Westfield FFA Cup 2016.

“I hope Adelaide United or MetroStars get in the final,” added Jake with a smile.