For Jon-Paul Wheatley, a product designer with an unwavering connection to the game, this poetry became deeply personal during a quiet lockdown in St. Louis. What began as a solitary experiment—cutting and stitching twelve uneven pentagons—soon transformed into 12 Pentagons, a heartfelt tribute to the sport that shaped him.

From childhood matches on the windswept pitches of southern England to collaborating with global icons like Adidas and Burberry, Jon-Paul’s journey is one of curiosity, nostalgia, and an insatiable desire to create.

We sat down with him to explore the magic found in every stitch, the joy of handcrafting, and how even the humblest beginnings—a lumpy, foam-stuffed first attempt—can evolve into something extraordinary.

Growing up in England, how did the local culture influence your passion for football during your childhood?

If you wanted to make friends at school, you had to play football. It was always a part of my life growing up. I played as a goalkeeper. I dreamed about becoming a professional football player until I realized you had to actually be good. That dream didn’t last very long.

At what point did you realize that design was your calling, and how did your background lead you to the art of crafting balls?

I’ve always liked making things. As a kid, I was obsessed with the internet, constantly messing around with projects—apps, games, whatever caught my interest. That curiosity led me into design, but it wasn’t until lockdown that I thought, what if I made a football?

The process of making a ball is the perfect balance between effort and pay off. It takes work. Usually multiple days of stitching… but there’s always a very satisfying payoff at the end where you get to breathe life into your new spherical object. Then you get to play with it!

Has living in St. Louis for some time influenced your designs? Are there any local elements that have found their way into your work?

St. Louis is a proper football city. There’s a strong community around the sport. My work started gaining traction right as the city got its MLS team, St. Louis City SC. I made a ball for the team that was full-on St. Louis propaganda, and another with Apple for Roman Bürki after he won MLS Goalkeeper of the Year.

Your journey from preparing to launch a tech startup to becoming a celebrated ball designer is fascinating. Did the pandemic play a role in this career shift, and what motivated you to start crafting footballs?

I really just wanted to do something physical that would take my mind off of everything that was going on. A new hobby to dive into and lose myself in. I started by making myself a new wallet, a pencil case, a notebook cover, then without giving it much thought attempted to make a ball.

Can you tell us about the first football you made? What inspired the idea, what challenges did you face, and how did that experience shape your approach to subsequent designs?

The first “ball”, if we can call it that, was terrible. It was roughly the size of a ping pong ball, and made from 12 haphazardly cut pentagon shapes. The stitching was uneven, and just generally poor. I stuffed some memory foam and a magnet inside. It was a disaster… but I had a blast making it, and when I was done I figured that if I made another it would be better. I’m still in that headspace, but now there’s 100s of balls around me.

I love keeping the first ball around. It’s a good reminder that if you power through that initial awkward phase of learning something, you can eventually end up making something cool.

You’ve crafted balls from materials like Nike Air Force 1 sneakers and Steven Gerrard’s old boots. How do you choose the materials for a new project, and what has been the most unconventional material you’ve worked with?

Sometimes it’s about nostalgia, like using Predator boots. Other times, it’s just about seeing if something will work. Using a fireman’s hosepipe was a bit out there. I once made a ball out of real dollar bills… probably that one!

How has your design philosophy evolved since your early creations? Are there specific themes or stories you seek to convey through your designs?

The story comes first, then I just try to run every decision through a filter of “how can this detail relate to the story?”. There’s a few things I like to play with for each new ball: The shapes of the panels often lead somewhere interesting, the material used is fun to explore, and oftentimes I’ll stitch something inside.

What inspired the launch of your company, 12 Pentagons, and how does it differ from your previous projects?

People kept asking if they could buy a ball, so we started 12 Pentagons as a way to make that happen while still keeping the process experimental. It’s like a public R&D lab, where the designs that resonate most get made in limited batches. Our first launch of 1000 units sold out in just a few hours. It was mental!

You’ve collaborated with brands like Adidas, FIFA, and Burberry. How do these partnerships influence your creative process, and are there any dream collaborations you’d like to pursue?

Every collaboration is different and usually comes with their own goals and design constraints. Sometimes these constraints can be frustrating to bump up against but they usually end up leading somewhere interesting.

I love collaborating with other artists, designers, and football players. Everyone comes with their own unique insight, and I love learning from people who have insights in areas that I don’t!

Your ‘behind-the-scenes’ videos have garnered millions of views on social media. How has social media influenced your work, and how important is the connection with the global football community?

When I started the videos about each ball were very much an after thought. I enjoyed making balls, but making videos about making balls was a frustrating necessity. Over time I started to enjoy the process of making the videos more, and now try to view the video as a core part of the process. It’s a key part of the story, and the reason why most people come into contact with my ball designs.

I also love the feedback we get from people who watch the videos. We have an amazing community of people who give feedback on different ball concepts and ideas. It helps me make better balls.

Can you share any upcoming projects or materials you’re excited to work with? Where do you see the future of handcrafted footballs within the broader context of sports design, and what’s next for you?

Through 12 Pentagons, we plan to continue to release limited batches of the hand stitched leather footballs along with some always-on options that are made with more performance-friendly materials. I recognize that the leather footballs tend to be more of a collector’s item, and people can be hesitant to play with them, so we want to explore modern pitch-ready materials that also happen to be more price accessible. A Badly Drawn Ball based on thousands of hand-drawn submissions is in the works, super excited about that one.