Penny floater

A penny floater (sometimes known as a Penny Swerver or a Fly-away) is a kind of cheap football commonly used by children in the western world.Its name derives from the fact that when they were first developed in the 1960s they cost a penny. The floater part comes from the fact that as they are made of a thin layer of hardened plastic filled with air they are very susceptible to the wind and often float or swerve with the wind.

Penny floaters are commonly used by young children; however amongst older children they are a source of ridicule, being branded cheap 'toy' footballs unsuitable for usage. Nonetheless, their cheapness and the fact that they do not damage in the way of regular footballs in urban environments makes them common.