I originally got this for my 6- and 9-year-old. My son (9) would like to throw the ball in the house more but obviously we make him play outside. Regardless I try to encourage physical activity, and I hoped this would get him outdoors more often. The problem is that this is still a pretty large football in terms of grip and my kids have a hard time grasping it, despite the age recommendation of 5-14. So, although its great for catching, as you don't have to worry about the tip hitting your chest at a fine point, throwing it is still a challenge for small hands. I really wish they had something like this when I was a kid. I spent summers throwing a tennis ball off of the side of my house and a football against a spray-painted target on a piece of plywood, and it would've been nice if the football came back to me at the time and I didnt have to retrieve it after every throw. I can really see how this would be great for teens and young aspiring football players as a method to get practice in solo. Id be curious to see how this holds up over a summer being thrown against a wall. My house isnt suited for that and we've mostly just been using this for traditional catch.
Of note, I had to request a replacement after the first one arrived. The hole that does the inflating was pushed inside the leather and was unreachable. As such I couldnt pump up the ball and had to send it back. That process was easy and the replacement I received arrived quickly and was in perfect order.