In 1879 Tom opened a factory at 32 Wellington Street in Collingwood and T.W Sherrin Pty Ltd was established.
The new shaped ball was so quickly accepted that the National Football League of Australia eventually used the size and shape as standard.
When Tom passed away in 1912, the business was left to Tom's nephew, John Sydney Sherrin who served his apprenticeship with the company as a teenager. ‘Syd’ operated the business until he passed away in 1941, and his son Tom took over the business until 1972.
The Sherrin business was sold in 1972 to Spalding Australia, and in 2003 Spalding was acquired by Russell Corporation. Despite the business changing hands, Sherrin continues over 140 years on to make footballs by hand in much the same manner from a factory in Keysborough, Victoria.