What are the roles of Ball Boys / Girls in a football match? – History, Selection Process, Most Successful
Question
No doubt, most Kids who love the beautiful game of football will jump at an offer to become a ball boy or girl. That will be a dream come true for many! In this article we will share the history behind this? what the selection process is like? And are some of the most successful and memorable ball boys/girls? Certainly, If you have a kid(s) who love football or you do, then this should be an interesting read for you!
(Source of image: The Scottish Sun)
What are the roles of Ball boys / Girls
There is much more involved in the role of being a ball girl/boy than simply collecting and providing balls to the players. It has its many advantages, one of the main ones being that allows the kid to become even closer with their favourite team and gain access to the best view in the house! More importantly, the role of being a ball boy/girl provides them with valuable and beneficial experience such as commitment and working within a pressured environment on the field. Most clubs will look for certain characteristics when choosing the lucky boy/girl to take the role. Clubs will tend to go for those who they believe are committed as well as energetic and can move quickly when throwing and catching a ball.
Selection Process for Ball Boys / Girls
Clubs will often select their ball boy/girl from their local youth league. Many will invite the kids, usually under the age of 16, to trial where they will then be selected based on this. However some clubs such as Manchester Utd have provided the opportunity for kids to come forward on their website if they met the specifications, in terms of age and commitment. Some clubs have even selected kids randomly through methods such as a prize draw.
“The role of being a ball boy/girl provides them with valuable and beneficial experience such as commitment and working within a pressured environment on the field”
The history behind ball boys/girls
When looking further into the history behind the role, it was surprising to find that the roles original purpose was not only to retrieve balls. The role was in fact introduced by Chelsea in the 1900’s to make their goalie look more intimidating. Their goalie at the time, William Foulkes, was over 6ft tall and weighed 152 km. He was a very successful goalkeeper and many teams were already intimidated by his size. It is said that Chelsea had the bright idea of hiring two young boys to stand beside the goalie, assigning them the job of “collecting the balls”, when really this was to make Foulkes appear even bigger and more terrifying to the opposing team. Since then, the role has stuck, and ball boys/girls can now be found in every game.
“Chelsea had the bright idea of hiring two young boys to stand beside the goalie, assigning them the job of “collecting the balls”, when really this was to make Foulkes appear even bigger and more terrifying to the opposing team”
(Source of image: FourFourTwo.com )
Who are some of the most successful and memorable ball boys/girls?
Many have made it all the way from being ball boys/girls to becoming professional footballers. An example of one footballer who started off as a ball boy is Wayne Rooney. Rooney joined the Everton youth team at 9 years old, starting off as a ball boy and the team’s Mascot. After scoring many goals in the Everton youth team, Rooney made his way up to Everton’s first squad team at the age of 16. He then went on to become one of the youngest, most successful players, being names the BBC’s young sports personality of the year in 2002.Another boy who was successful in his role as a ball boy is Steven Boyd, the head ball boy of Manchester utd. Steven showed an outstanding level of commitment to his role as a ball boy and this was recognised, leading to him receiving the Torch Trophy Trust Prize award which he was awarded by the Duke of Kent. This was provided to him for being an excellent role model to his fellow ball boys as well as his contribution to the club. He even got a chance to be involved in the 2012 Olympic games!
Another successful and certainly memorable moment is when the first ever group of girls were selected to be ball throwers in the opening tournament of the World Cup this year. This was a dream come true for the 14 young girls from Russia, with their coach stating that “It’s like a fairytale for them”. These girls were selected from a shortlist on ‘Inspiring entrants’ to a national junior soccer tournament. This was certainly well deserved due to their efforts and following this, a further 776 ball boys and girls took part in this years world cup.
(Source of image: RT.com)
This was a dream come true for the 14 young girls from Russia, with their coach stating that “It’s like a fairytale for them”.
https://clubs.classforkids.co.uk/blog/posts/2018/july/all-you-need-to-know-about-ball-boys-girls-in-football/
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