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The Ball~ 2002 to Now

Crispin Thomas

Friday, November 18th, 2022

1 Leave a comment on verse 1 0 it’s a dream that would blossom two decades ago
when the Spirit of Football gave birth
to a symbol that’s more than just something you kick
but unites everyone on this Earth
and it’s rolled and been kicked by many a foot
it’s been headed and signed on the way
and it’s passed through their hands as it travels the lands
to ev’ry World Cup since that day …
it began when some friends had a notion
you could say they were drawn by a call
but it set off a story that every four years
sees the journey and trek of The Ball

2 Leave a comment on verse 2 0 from Battersea Park where the first game was played*
it was there in two thousand and two
that the first trip began to Korea and Japan
and those wonderful lands it passed through
and the Ball would be played with on beaches
in playgrounds in cities and towns
on hillsides and streets and in far-flung retreats
and wherever the moment was found
there were games played in secret in China
in the mountains where shadows would fall
there were monks in their boots and their long crimson robes
and they played just like us with The Ball

3 Leave a comment on verse 3 0 in 2006 it was Germany
and it made many friends on the way
in a world that is often divided
it brought people together through play
in another four years it was spinning once more
to Africa though many lands
it brought joy and delight ev’ry day ev’ry night
as it passed from those feet and those hands…
it’s been juggled by children and grown ups
it embodies the heart of the game
it’s been held like a torch and a beacon of hope
it’s our own little circular flame
and whatever you do and wherever you live
whether you’re big or you’re small
if you’re blind or disabled or lonely
you can’t beat the touch of the ball

4 Leave a comment on verse 4 0 it was there in Brazil and in Russia
and right now it’s travelling once more
and it’s making new friends on it’s journey
to another long far distant shore
but it’s not being kicked to Qatar
there are too many reasons to name
but instead it’s embracing the Women’s next year
at the core of the Beautiful Game
and in Oz and New Zealand** you’ll find it
it will thrill and unite and enthral
it’s the essence of bringing together
our one world with love and one ball

Notes

History of The Ball
https://theball.tv/about/

On its’ first journey The Ball 2002 was carried 7000 miles across Europe and Asia to the World Cup finals. During the journey it was played with by local people in many villages, towns and cities along the way.
Watch the video ‘The Ball- 2022’ here :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYcsK0VyOUo/

In the summer of 1998, three friends : Phil Wake, Christian Wach (our lovely Football Poets website designer and host) and Richard Hamilton, went to the FIFA World Cup in France where they became fascinated by the songs and celebrations of supporters. They were captivated by the power that music had to bring rival fans together and discovered through kick–abouts that football truly is a global language. Infected by the World Cup bug, they began planning an overland trip to the next World Cup in Korea & Japan.

“People often ask if we have a spare ball in case we lose the one we are carrying. No, we reply, there is only One Ball and only One World, and we have to look after both.”

The Ball – football’s equivalent to the Olympic Torch – has been kicked by Spirit of Football to 5 FIFA World Cups, visited 50+ countries and inspired more than 50,000 people. The Ball 2022-2023 will be travelling to the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 in Australia and New Zealand instead of the FIFA Men’s World Cup in Qatar.

On The Ball’s epic journey to the World Cup, it is played with in organised games of football, in kick–abouts and in juggling sessions. Anyone and everyone can engage with The Ball, sign it, kick it and help it along its way. The Ball becomes a representative of unity in a divided world. It enriches the World Cup with a symbol that matches the spirit of the Olympic Flame.

Every four years, The Ball kicks off from its “Mount Olympus”, Battersea Park in London, where the very first game of modern rules football took place in 1864. The Ball celebrates this moment – the birth of modern football – because it gave rise to a common set of rules which enable the whole world to play together. The Ball’s destination is the Opening Ceremony of the FIFA World Cup. Instead of being passed from hand to hand like the torch, The Ball is played with in as many kick–abouts and games of football as possible along the way to the host country.

It is more than just a symbol of fair play to be admired from afar — The Ball invites people from all walks of life to share in the joy of participation. It engages them directly in playing the game and indirectly by connecting them to the World Cup.

“It’s an honour to sign The Ball.”
— Pat Nevin, former Chelsea & Scotland captain, June 2002

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Source: http://footballpoets.org/poems/the-ball-2002-2022-23/