a preferred embodiment of a child &# 39 ; s play football 10 in accordance with the present invention is shown in the figures . the football 10 may be of conventional construction except for the presence of a built - in tee 14 which , in the illustrated embodiments described below in more detail , is generally of an inverted y - shape with a leg 141 and two arms 140 , the bottom edges of which provide a support surface . the body 12 of the football 10 may be formed of foam rubber or foam plastic , preferably with a surface skin 16 . the foam rubber or plastic from which the body 12 , preferably having a typical elongated “ football - shape ”, is desirably soft and compressable so as to prevent hard impacts when the ball strikes a child , as is conventional . the tee 14 is hinged near or adjacent its upper end 142 within the body 12 of the football 10 , and in its inoperative position sits within a recess 18 which is desirably complementary in shape to the tee 14 , the depth of the recess 18 being approximately the same as the thickness of the tee 14 so that , in its inoperative position as shown in fig1 and 4 , the outside surface of the tee 14 aligns approximately with the outside surface 16 of the body 12 . an important feature of the present invention is the provision of a suitable mechanism to maintain the tee 14 in its recessed position as shown in fig1 and 4 . this may be done in a number of ways , including the provision of a tight friction fit . however , a preferred mechanism is shown in section in fig4 and 5 . in this preferred construction a biasing spring 144 , for example a coil spring confined within a tube 146 , acts on a projection 148 at the upper end 142 of the tee 14 to bias the tee 14 into the closed or recessed position as shown in fig1 and 4 . in order to better retain the coil spring 144 and improve its functioning , a supporting plate 143 is located at the distal end of the coil spring 144 , and a slidable cup shaped element 145 retains therewithin the proximal end of the spring 144 . the plate 143 , integral or unitary with the tube 146 , also serves to help retain the entire structure within the body 12 of the football 10 . alternatively , the plate 143 may be dispensed with , and the tube 146 may simply be provided with a closed distal end . in such a case , the tube 146 , which may have a circular , square or other cross - sectional configuration , should be adhesively retained within the body 12 of the football 10 . by “ adhesively retained ”, what is meant is that a separate adhesive may be used or that the body 12 by its nature itself may adhere to the tube 146 . this latter effect results from a preferred method of manufacture , as briefly explained below . completing the structure of the tee 14 is a pivot pin 149 about which the tee 14 rotates . while most of the aforementioned parts of the tee 14 are preferably formed of hard plastic , the pivot pin is preferably metal , with its ends retained and held in place by walls of the tube 146 . the preferred construction as illustrated in fig4 and 5 has another advantage over the simple provision of a friction fit . thus , as can be seen in fig5 the biasing spring 144 also serves to maintain the tee 14 in its operative position in the illustrated construction , as well as in its recessed position as shown in fig4 . the football 10 of the present invention may be molded in a conventional way as is known in the prior art , except that the entire structure of the tee including its supporting structure , e . g . the tube 146 , etc ., is first supported in an appropriate location within the interior of the mold adjacent an interior surface of the mold . in such a case , the mold should be so constructed so that the tee itself , namely the arms 140 and the leg 141 , do not become adhered to the foam rubber or foam plastic composition during molding . the foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the invention that others can , by applying current knowledge , readily modify and / or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without undue experimentation and without departing from the generic concept , and , therefore , such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments . for example , while the tee 14 in the illustrated embodiments is shown as having an inverted y - shape , other shapes will be possible , e . g . the gap between the two arms of the y can be closed in so as to make a single support , or the tee can have a generally delta - shape . it is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation . the means , materials , and steps for carrying out various disclosed functions may take a variety of alternative forms without departing from the invention . thus the expressions “ means to . . . ” and “ means for . . . ”, or any method step language , as may be found in the specification above and / or in the claims below , followed by a functional statement , are intended to define and cover whatever structural , physical , chemical or electrical element or structure , or whatever method step , which may now or in the future exist which carries out the recited function , whether or not precisely equivalent to the embodiment or embodiments disclosed in the specification above , i . e ., other means or steps for carrying out the same functions can be used ; and it is intended that such expressions be given their broadest interpretation .