By: Jeremy Alden
When Nerf puts out so many excellent products, it’s can be hard to find the perfect toy for your specific needs.
This is especially true for Nerf Sports items, where design plays a major role in the functionality and performance of the ball itself.
Fortunately, you don’t have to take it on by yourself.
That’s what we’re here for! If you’re trying to find the best Nerf football for any occasion, let’s take a look at a couple of key categories and suggestions to help you get started.
The 5 Best Nerf Footballs - All Reviewed Below
1. Nerf Sports Weather Blitz Football (Best Nerf Football for the Beach)
2.Nerf Sports Pro Grip Football (Best Nerf Football for Adults)
3. Nerf Sports Pocket Vortex Aero Howler (Best Nerf Football for Children)
4. Nerf N-Sports Turbo Jr. Football (Best Budget Football)
5. Nerf FireVision Ignite Football (Best Nerf Football for Nighttime Play)
- CLASSIC FOAM FOOTBALL: The Nerf Pro Grip ball is a classic foam football that's easy to catch and throw
- DURABLE DESIGN FOR OUTDOOR AND INDOOR PLAY: This durable foam ball is made for outdoor and indoor play, so kids can get up and get active inside or outside
- FUN TO CATCH, FUN TO THROW
- Designed and sized so that everyone can have lots of fun practicing catches and throwing spiral passes
- High quality toys for children all ages
- Made using safe materials
- Tested for quality and durability
- Turbo juniour football is durable but soft for tough play
- Football's design delivers awesome performance
- Turbo Jr. football is durable but soft for tough play
- ALL WEATHER PLAY: The Nerf Weather Blitz football is designed for durability so you can play in different weather conditions
- PLAY IN RAIN, MUD, OR SNOW: Even when it's raining, snowing, or muddy, everyone can still get outside for a game with the Nerf Weather Blitz football
- EASY-GRIP DESIGN: The Weather Blitz ball is designed with grips and sized so that it's easy to hold and throw even when wet or muddy, so the weather doesn’t get in the way of a game
The Best Nerf Footballs
1. Best Nerf Football for the Beach: The Nerf Sports Weather Blitz Football
The beach offers an ideal setting to break out some of your favorite Nerf toys and get active.
However, the biggest issue with foam balls in a water setting is that they will often retain too much water when exposed, making it difficult to throw them due to their increased weight.
Additionally, the surface may be too slippery for players to get a firm grip on. For these types of settings, you need a ball like the Nerf Sports Weather Blitz Football.
The Nerf Sports Weather Blitz Football offers a similar design to other Nerf footballs with the exception that the grip elements on this ball are rubberized, helping you to get a better grip no matter if your palms are sweating or if the ball has accidentally made contact with the ocean.
This ball is also more durable than some of the other options and features gripping across the face of the ball so that you can get a strong grip no matter where you grab it.
Although you still have to be careful not to leave a ball submerged in water too long, this ball is an excellent product to bring with you to the beach.
- ALL WEATHER: The Nerf Weather Blitz football is designed to be all-weather so kids can get outside for some football fun no matter the weather!
- POOL + BEACH BALL: The all-weather covering makes this NERF football the perfect beach and pool toy for kids to take on the go for non-stop football action
- EASY-GRIP DESIGN: The 9" inch junior-sized Weather Blitz ball is designed with built-in grips and a textured surface so all players can grip, throw and catch this ball with ease
- INDOOR + OUTDOOR: The soft but durable foam construction makes it fun for kids to use indoors while still being rugged enough for backyard football games
2. Best Nerf Football for Adults: The Nerf Sports Pro Grip Football
Are you looking for a great all-around football for adults and older children and teens to play with? If so, look no further than the Nerf Sports Pro Grip Football.
The Nerf Sports Pro Grip Football is your standard foam ball with some additional gripping points on one side of the ball to simulate the stitching on a regular football.
This gives you some extra grip while still maintaining the foam body that Nerf enthusiasts love. This ball also comes in a wide variety of color schemes to make sure that you find the perfect football for your personal style.
If you don’t need something as heavy-duty as our previous suggestion, the Nerf Sports Pro Grip Football will do the trick.
Read my full review of the Nerf Pro Grip Football Here.
- NERF FOAM: This mini football is made with soft NERF foam, which makes it perfect for kids to throw and catch with ease
- MINI SIZE: Designed for kids, this 9" inch junior size foam football is perfect for small hands to grip
- INDOOR + OUTDOOR: The soft but durable foam construction makes it safe for kids to use indoors while still being rugged enough for backyard football games
- PERFECT FIRST FOOTBALL: This kids football is the perfect toy for young sports fans who are looking to learn the basics of football
Best Nerf Football for Nighttime Play: The Nerf FireVision Ignite Football
Whenever the urge strikes, you can always pick up a Nerf football and start playing with your friends and family. However, when you feel the need to play at night, you have to have adequate lighting, or else it can be very difficult to see the ball as it travels through the air.
So, do you have to just settle for playing in the day? Definitely not! Instead, you can use the Nerf FireVision Ignite Football.
The Nerf FireVision Ignite Football is a bright green football with checkered waves added on the face of the ball. While one could assume that this product gets its lighting from glow-in-the-dark material or paint, this one actually runs on batteries.
The Nerf FireVision Ignite Football takes three AAA batteries and lights up when gripped with sufficient force to make it easier for players to spot the ball.
Unlike other products, it also comes with an auto-off feature to make sure that you aren’t wasting precious battery power when you decide to put your ball away. Best of all, it’s estimated that the batteries will last for 20-30 hours of gameplay.
If you need something that you can break out when you decide that a nighttime game would be a ton of fun, the Nerf FireVision Ignite Football will give you all the features you need to get a good game.
With a decent weight (due to the batteries), a foam surface (even though the battery pack is located inside), and a somewhat waterproof design (just make sure you don’t keep it submerged in water), the Nerf FireVision Ignite Football is an excellent ball overall.
- 🏈 Glow in the Dark Football: This nightball will glow in the dark with a clear green light! In order to get the glowing effect you need to put the ball anywhere outside in the daylight (the longer the better) and enjoy the superb glowing light up ball effect when playing later at night! The ball stays lighted up in the dark for up to 4 hours depending on the light intensity in the day time.
- 🚫🔋 No Batteries or Camera Flash Needed: This glow in the dark ball is made with the special material which naturally charges from the sunlight in the daytime and does not require batteries or camera flash to get the glow ball feature like other LED light up glow balls on the market.
- ✔️ 100% Waterproof!: Going for a vacation? Make sure to take our football with you! Enjoy playing in a pool or ocean!
- ✅ The Perfect In the Middle Size 6: This football measures 10 x 5 in / 26 x 13 cm which is a perfect size for all ages, from kids to adults!
3. Best Nerf Football for Children: The Nerf Sports Pocket Vortex Aero Howler
Some children may find it hard to grip the larger footballs on this list, but they certainly don’t have to be left out of all the fun. The Nerf Sports Pocket Vortex Aero Howler is the perfect choice for smaller hands.
Unlike the other footballs on this list, the Nerf Sports Pocket Vortex Aero Howler is a football that comes with a smaller football body attached to a set of fins designed to improve the aerodynamics and stabilize the ball as it travels through the air.
On the side of the Nerf Sports Pocket Vortex Aero Howler is a small notch that helps the ball produce a “howling” sound once it’s thrown. Although there are plenty of great small footballs for younger children, none are as easy to grab or as fun as this one.
Whenever your child wants to join in with the rest of the group, make sure to bring the Nerf Sports Pocket Vortex Aero Howler out for them!
- You might like: Best SMALL Nerf Footballs PERFECT for Little Hands
- NERF VORTEX: The NERF Vortex Aero Howler Foam Football is built for maximum distance passes to take any catch or football game to the next level!
- MINI SIZE: This mini vortex is pocket-sized and easy to take on the go so even the youngest players with small hands can get in on the fun wherever the game takes them!
- HEAR THE DIFFERENCE: Designed with built-in air holes that give this ball a distinctive, roaring whistle as it flies through the air so you can see and hear the difference
- MAXIMUM FLIGHT: This Vortex football is designed with an aero-dynamic, 3-finned tail to help throw tight spirals that allow the ball soar through the air like no other toy football
Best Budget Football: The Nerf N-Sports Turbo Jr. Football
Are you looking for a great football that won’t break the bank? For those who want to spend just a little on a new Nerf football, the Nerf N-Sports Turbo Jr. Football is an excellent choice.
The Nerf N-Sports Turbo Jr. Football is an all-foam football that is easy to grip and throw for players of any age.
Although the Nerf N-Sports Turbo Jr. Football may not offer as much as some other Nerf footballs, it’s a great ball for any type of play and won’t hurt when you catch it or accidentally get hit by it due to its soft design.
- NERF FOAM: This youth mini football is made with soft NERF foam, which makes it perfect for kids to throw and catch with ease
- MINI SIZE: Designed for kids, this 9" inch junior size foam football is perfect for small hands to grip
- INDOOR + OUTDOOR: The soft but durable foam construction makes it safe for kids to use indoors while still being rugged enough for backyard football games
- PERFECT FIRST FOOTBALL: This kids football is the perfect toy for young sports fans who are looking to learn the basics of football
There’s a Nerf Ball for Every Occasion and Player
- CLASSIC FOAM FOOTBALL: The Nerf Pro Grip ball is a classic foam football that's easy to catch and throw
- DURABLE DESIGN FOR OUTDOOR AND INDOOR PLAY: This durable foam ball is made for outdoor and indoor play, so kids can get up and get active inside or outside
- FUN TO CATCH, FUN TO THROW
- Designed and sized so that everyone can have lots of fun practicing catches and throwing spiral passes
- High quality toys for children all ages
- Made using safe materials
- Tested for quality and durability
- Turbo juniour football is durable but soft for tough play
- Football's design delivers awesome performance
- Turbo Jr. football is durable but soft for tough play
- ALL WEATHER PLAY: The Nerf Weather Blitz football is designed for durability so you can play in different weather conditions
- PLAY IN RAIN, MUD, OR SNOW: Even when it's raining, snowing, or muddy, everyone can still get outside for a game with the Nerf Weather Blitz football
- EASY-GRIP DESIGN: The Weather Blitz ball is designed with grips and sized so that it's easy to hold and throw even when wet or muddy, so the weather doesn’t get in the way of a game
Whether it’s the beach or the backyard, there’s a Nerf football for every occasion and for every player.
If you’re looking to add some Nerf Sports products to your collection and already have some fun football settings in mind, you can use the guide above to find the right Nerf football for your needs!
Jeremy A
Dart Dudes
About the Author
Jeremy is the founder of Dart Dudes, the leading resource for parents looking to pick up a Nerf toy for a child. He grew up with his four brothers and two sisters where there was always a Nerf war taking place.
With a focus on safety, Jeremy has helped thousands of parents help chose the right Nerf toy for their kids or grandkids. He lives in California with his wife and family. Learn more about me. - You can email me jeremy@dartdudes.com
