Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | James Alan Ball | ||
Date of birth | September 1975 [1] [2] | ||
Team information | |||
Current team | AFC Totton (manager) | ||
Youth career | |||
Exeter City | |||
Southampton | |||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
BAT Sports | |||
Managerial career | |||
2021 | Forest Green Rovers (interim) | ||
2022– | AFC Totton | ||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
James Alan Ball (born 1975) is an English football coach who is the manager of AFC Totton. Previously Ball had been employed with Forest Green Rovers as an under-18 team coach and interim manager of the first team.
Ball was a youth player at Exeter City and Southampton during his father's managerial stints at the clubs. Ball later played senior football for BAT Sports. [1]
Following his playing spell, Ball moved into coaching, coaching at Christchurch and Winchester City. [1] In 2014, following coaching spells at Portsmouth and Irish club Shelbourne, Ball moved to the United States, to coach Puget Sound Gunners. [3] Ball later returned to England, coaching in the academies at Blackburn Rovers and Stoke City. [4]
On 11 April 2021, following the sacking of Mark Cooper and whilst working as the club's under-18 manager, Ball was appointed interim manager of Forest Green Rovers until the end of the 2020–21 season. [5] After having narrowly missed out on promotion to League One through the playoffs, Rob Edwards was appointed head coach, and Ball went back to coach the under-18s team. He left the club with mutual consent in September 2021. [6]
Ball was appointed first-team coach at League Two club Stevenage on 4 January 2022. [7]
In March 2022, Ball was appointed as manager of Southern Football League side AFC Totton. [8] In January 2024, he was linked to a return to former club Forest Green Rovers. [9]
Ball is the son of former 1966 World Cup winner Alan Ball Jr. and the grandson of Alan Ball Sr. All three family members have managed in the Football League. [4]
Team | From | To | Record | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
P | W | D | L | Win % | |||
Forest Green Rovers | 11 April 2021 | 27 May 2021 [10] | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 50.0 |
Total | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 50.0 |