They are little on the pitch and sometimes invincible when following a match till the ball crosses the line and they are called to duty.
In a short documentary compiled by TV3’s Juliet Bawuah, the Sports Journalist details what a ball boy’s day at the office looks and feels like.
The job of the ball boy is a little tedious but it comes along with joy and pride. Though the dream of being a ball boy is shared by many, it remains exclusive to a few due to what is a very strict selection process out of which training takes place.
The children are taken through turns of training before they are assigned roles on match days. Sometimes players under pressure easily yell at players for the ball or could talk to them out to delay play. In many ways, ball boys contribute to games. Their swiftness in discharging their duties can easily win match days for the home team.
Last year, a quick-thinking ball boy in the Champions League turned the fortunes of Spurs when he swiftly dashed out the ball to a Tottenham player which resulted in a goal. Tottenham were trailing from a goal down and the smartness from the Spurs ball boy led the team to restore parity. The youngster’s effort did not go unseen and was later invited to have lunch with the team.
Although clubs are yet to celebrate their ball boys in the Ghana Premier League, it’s very important to note that being a ball boy brings youngsters closer to relishing their dreams as footballers. These days clubs invest a lot in buying kits for their ball boys to make them look uninformed.
Although the monetary benefits are not much, the youngsters disclose that they are privileged to having a great experience watching the big games, seeing the best players and the most memorable experience which is envied by many young people is enough to make them happy.
From the likes of Patrick Kluivert, Pep Guardiola, Steven Gerrard, Carlos Tevez, Wesley Sneijder to our own Callum Hudson-Odoi, Samuel Inkoom and recently Hafiz Konkoni who plays in the Ghana Premier League, a lot of stories could be said of professional footballers who started as a ball boys.
While most of the lads revealed their passion for football, a few others believe that they could possibly learn numerous lessons and skills from watching the best during match days in the Ghana Premier League.
Watch the video of the documentary compiled by TV3’s Juliet Bawuah below
