LONDON - Would you Adam and Eve (believe) it? The official match ball to be used at the London 2012 Olympic soccer tournament will be called 'The Albert' in a nod to the Cockney rhyming slang of the capital's East End.

The winning name, which refers to London's landmark Albert Hall, was announced by official Olympic partner adidas on Monday after a national competition.

"The London 2012 Games are becoming synonymous with the East End of London and it was important to us that the name reflected this strong heritage," said the company's UK marketing director Nick Craggs in a statement.

Players will have to wait to try out the ball with their plates of meat (feet) or loaf of bread (head) until next year, however, when the design of the ball is unveiled.

A women's soccer match in Wales will kick off the 2012 programme a full two days before the torch is lit at the July 27 opening ceremony.