London 2012 football named 'The Albert' 25 Jul 2011

With exactly one year to go until the start of the London 2012 Olympic Football tournament, adidas, the Official Sportswear Partner of London 2012, has announced that the football will be called 'The Albert'. football hero 340x185 The London 2012 Olympic Football tournament kicks off on 25 July 2012. The winning name was selected after a public competition. Submitted by Robert Ashcroft from Long Eaton in Derbyshire, it is based on cockney rhyming slang – with ‘Albert Hall’ (one of London's most iconic landmarks) meaning 'ball'. Robert Ashcroft, who chose the winning name, said: 'I can’t believe that my name was chosen for the ball that will have such a big part to play in the biggest sporting event on earth. The name was an obvious choice for me. With London hosting the 2012 Games it made sense to name a ball with the London Cockney rhyming slang heritage.’ The competition proved popular amongst the British public, with over 12,000 different names submitted over the ten-day period. Nick Craggs, adidas UK Marketing Director said: 'We are delighted that we were able to offer the British public the opportunity to name the London 2012 Olympic football, and to receive so many great names. The London 2012 Games are becoming synonymous with the East End of London and it was important to us that the name reflected this strong heritage – 'The Albert' creates mass appeal to the British public as well as creating global intrigue.' Paul Deighton, CEO of the London 2012 Organising Committee, added: 'It’s fantastic that adidas involved the public in the naming of this very special football for this very special tournament which will take place across the UK in 2012.' The football's design will remain under wraps until its official launch in spring 2012.