Alan Ball Sr.

James Alan Ball (26 September 1924 – 2 January 1982) was an English football player and manager.

For his son, the England World Cup winner, see Alan Ball Jr.

Alan Ball Sr.
Personal information
Full name James Alan Ball
Date of birth (1924-09-26)26 September 1924[1]
Place of birth Farnworth, Lancashire, England
Date of death 2 January 1982(1982-01-02) (aged 57)[2]
Place of death Nicosia, Cyprus
Position(s) Inside forward
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
– Bolton B.F.
1946–1947 Southport 2 (0)
1947–1948 Birmingham City 0 (0)
1948–1950 Southport 39 (9)
1950–1952 Oldham Athletic 7 (1)
1952 Rochdale 5 (1)
Managerial career
1953-1955 Oswestry Town
Borough United
1959-1961 Ashton United
1962-1966 Nantwich
1967–1970 Halifax Town
1970–1973 Preston North End
1973–1975 Southport
1974 IF Saab
1975 IK Sirius
1976–1977 Halifax Town
1979 Djurgårdens IF
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Playing career

Born in Farnworth, Lancashire, Ball played as an inside forward for Bolton Boys Federation, Southport (in two spells), Birmingham City (although he did not play a Football League match for them), Oldham Athletic and Rochdale.[1]

Managerial career

Ball started his managerial career[3] as player-boss of Oswestry Town,[4] then managed Borough United, Ashton United and Nantwich, helping the Cheshire side to a treble of Mid-Cheshire League, League Cup and Cheshire Amateur Cup in 1963/64.[5] In the summer of 1966, he left the Dabbers to take up a coaching role with Stoke City. He managed Halifax Town in two separate spells (1967–1970) and (1976–1977), and in between these he managed Preston North End between 1970 and 1973 winning the Division 3 title,[6] and Southport, IF Saab and IK Sirius.[7] Ball managed Djurgårdens IF in 1979.[8]

Outside football

Ball also had stints as a publican. While at Oswestry Town he kept the King's Head in Church Street, Oswestry.[9]

Death

He was killed in a car accident in Nicosia, Cyprus, in January 1982 at the age of 57.[2][7] Ball had been engaged for what would have been his next managerial position, with the Cypriot team Evagoras Paphos and was being transported in a taxi from Larnaca Airport to start work when it crashed, reportedly killing him instantly.[9]

Family

At death Ball left his widow, his lifetime wife Vera.[9] His son Alan Jr. played in England's 1966 World Cup-winning team and later followed his father into management. In April 2021, Ball's grandson, Jimmy, became the third generation of the family to manage in the Football League after being appointed interim manager at Forest Green Rovers.[10]

Ball is the great-grandfather of professional footballers John McAtee and James McAtee.[11]

References
  1. "Alan Ball". Post War English & Scottish Football League A–Z Player's Transfer Database. Neil Brown. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  2. "Alan Ball Sr". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  3. "Project 1878".
  4. "Oswestry Town Managers". tnsfc.co.uk. 27 January 2016. Retrieved 8 January 2017.
  5. CHATWIN, MICHAEL (2020). ULTIMATE BOOK OF NANTWICH TOWN FOOTBALL CLUB. [S.l.]: EMPIRE. ISBN 978-0-9563068-2-1. OCLC 1199329275.
  6. "Alan Ball (Snr)". League Managers Association. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  7. "Alan Ball". Port Online. Daniel Hayes. Archived from the original on 10 September 2012. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  8. "Historia: Tränare A-laget" [History: First-team managers] (in Swedish). Djugården Fotboll. Archived from the original on 1 February 2012. Retrieved 18 February 2012.
  9. "Former Oswestry soccer boss dies". Shropshire Star (North Edition). 4 January 1982. p. 1.
  10. "Jimmy Ball 'had to take' Forest Green chance after winning first game in charge". NewsChain. 17 April 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  11. John & James McAtee on FA Cup runs, sibling rivalry and Mother's Day, Kelly Somers / Ian Woodcock, BBC Sport, 17 March 2023


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