Ball Boys

[Topographic Hibby]

Not a pop at them as such, but the ball was a bit slow coming back to us last night. The early goal meant we were chasing the game for 90+ and on more than one occasion, there didn't appear to be anybody getting the ball in play very quickly.

At one point in the 2nd half, Otso had to clamber over barriers in the South to get the ball for a bye-kick. We also have a wide space to be manned in front of the East and there didn't seem to be too much urgency to get the ball retrieved and thrown to one of our players when it got kicked out.

As I say, not at pop at the "boys" but shouldn't we have a few more? What does it cost us.....a pie, a juice and a selfie with Jason or Sir David?

[Smartie]

Not a pop at them as such, but the ball was a bit slow coming back to us last night. The early goal meant we were chasing the game for 90+ and on more than one occasion, there didn't appear to be anybody getting the ball in play very quickly.

At one point in the 2nd half, Otso had to clamber over barriers in the South to get the ball for a bye-kick. We also have a wide space to be manned in front of the East and there didn't seem to be too much urgency to get the ball retrieved and thrown to one of our players when it got kicked out.

As I say, not at pop at the "boys" but shouldn't we have a few more? What does it cost us.....a pie, a juice and a selfie with Jason or Sir David?

I noticed that too.

We've been guilty of this in the past and it really gets on my nerves.

[hibee]

They are a always really young and understandably seem more excited about getting to see the players up close than actually getting the ball back into play.

Unless it falls in their lap I think they generally just ignore the ball. That may be what they've been told to do though as they are never keen to get up and run after a ball.

Might be worth having older kids at bigger games like this in the future.

[Craig_in_Prague]

I think the ball boys should have extra match balls to hand - like in most countries and international games; and are trained to be more ready to give the players the ball to get on with the action.

Of course, if you're winning and away team want the ball, they don't need to be so efficient :)

I don't understand in UK why players or the ball boys have to hunt down the single match ball - completely wasting game time.

[Viva_Palmeiras]

I was one of iirc 4 ball boys for the Scotland England rugby international at Murrayfield (then record score 33-6).

We we went through drilled walk throughs several times before the match what to do in certain instances by the bloke responsible at Edinburgh Wanderers. We only did this as we were training with Wanderers.

Before the kickoff the captain Colin Deans came in to speak with us and told us in no uncertain terms that if it was Scotland's ball clean it and give it quick otherwise sit on it for a bit. The French had scored from a kickoff that had gone straight out and an unfortunate ball boy had given it quick to a French player who passed it to Serge Blanco and the rest was history. Amateurs back then but very much professionals (apart from kicking the Calcutta cup along Princes St). It was in the bus going back I heard to song "walking over the cliffs of Dover - I see an Englishman an push the [blankety-blank] over..."