External links
- Matt Ball at Soccerbase
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Matthew Ball [1] | ||
| Date of birth | 26 March 1993 [2] | ||
| Place of birth | Welwyn Garden City, England [2] | ||
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) [3] | ||
| Position(s) | Holding midfielder, attacking midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| 2005–2010 | Norwich City | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 2010–2012 | Norwich City | 0 | (0) |
| 2012 | → Macclesfield Town (loan) | 0 | (0) |
| 2012–2014 | Stevenage | 2 | (0) |
| 2013 | → Farnborough (loan) | 7 | (1) |
| 2013–2014 | → Boreham Wood (loan) | 21 | (4) |
| 2014 | → Farnborough (loan) | 19 | (4) |
| 2014 | Farnborough | 12 | (2) |
| 2014–2015 | Wealdstone | 24 | (6) |
| 2015 | Albuquerque Sol | ||
| 2015–2016 | Wealdstone | 24 | (3) |
| 2016 | → Farnborough (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2016–2017 | St Albans | 13 | (2) |
| 2017–2018 | Hendon | 47 | (9) |
| 2018 | → Kings Langley (loan) | 9 | (3) |
| 2018–2020 | Biggleswade Town | ||
| 2020–2021 | Hendon | 7 | (0) |
| 2022 | Welwyn Garden City | 8 | (1) |
| 2023 | Cockfosters | 4 | (0) |
| 2023–2025 | Stotfold | 37 | (9) |
| International career | |||
| 2010–2011 | Northern Ireland U17 | 6 | (1) |
| 2011 | Northern Ireland U19 | 3 | (0) |
| 2011–2013 | Northern Ireland U21 | 6 | (0) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals as of 17:26, 16 October 2025 (UTC) | |||
Matthew Ball (born 26 March 1993) is a professional footballer who plays as a holding midfielder or attacking midfielder.
Ball joined the Norwich City academy in 2005 and progressed through the youth system to sign his first professional contract in May 2011. He moved to Stevenage in July 2012, making his Football League debut and spending loan spells at Farnborough and Boreham Wood. He subsequently joined Farnborough permanently before signing for Conference South club Wealdstone in October 2014 for an undisclosed fee, making 62 appearances and scoring 11 goals. During this period, he also had a brief spell in the United States with Albuquerque Sol.
He spent the first half of the 2016–17 season with St Albans before joining Isthmian League Premier Division club Hendon in January 2017. In May 2018, he signed for Biggleswade Town, scoring 18 goals across two seasons in a holding midfield role. He later played for Welwyn Garden City, Cockfosters, and Stotfold in non-League football. Internationally, Ball represented Northern Ireland at under-17, under-19, and under-21 level.
Born in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, [2] Ball attended St Columba's College and Easton College. [4] He began playing football with local club Welwyn Pegasus at under-6 level, spending six to seven years there. [5] After attracting interest from Ipswich Town and Tottenham Hotspur, he joined the Norwich City academy at the age of 12 following a successful trial. [5] His father, Tim, played for Stevenage Borough for three years between 1984 and 1987, [6] while his brother Dominic, is also a professional footballer. [5]
While part of Norwich City's youth system, Ball captained the academy team during the 2010–11 season and featured regularly for the reserves, scoring eight goals in 14 matches. [6] In October 2010, he received his first-team call-up, appearing as an unused substitute in a 2–1 defeat to Crystal Palace. [7] He signed his professional contract, a one-year deal, in the summer of 2011, with manager Paul Lambert praising his attitude and readiness to step up to senior football. [8]
During the 2011–12 season, Ball continued to play regularly for the reserves but did not make a senior appearance. He joined League Two club Macclesfield Town on a one-month loan on 15 March 2012, [9] though did not feature and returned to Norwich at the end of the spell. [6] [10] Ball was released by the club at the conclusion of the 2011–12 season, without making a first-team appearance. [10]
Ahead of the 2012–13 season, Ball joined League One club Stevenage on trial and subsequently signed a two-year contract on 19 July 2012. [11] [12] Having not made a first-team appearance during the first half of the season, [13] he was loaned to Conference South club Farnborough on a one-month deal. [14] [15] He made seven appearances and scored once in a 1–0 away win over Eastbourne Borough. [16] [17] Ball returned to Stevenage and made his senior debut for the club on 20 April 2013, coming on as a 75th-minute substitute in a 3–0 defeat to Swindon Town. [18]
Ball joined Conference South club Boreham Wood on a six-month loan on 16 August 2013, [19] scoring twice on his debut the following day in a 2–0 victory against Tonbridge Angels. [20] He went on to make 29 appearances and score five goals during the first half of the season. [20] Following the expiry of his loan, Ball rejoined Farnborough on loan for the remainder of the 2013–14 season, where he scored four times in 19 appearances. [20] He was released by Stevenage in May 2014. [21]
Ball signed for Conference South club Farnborough on a permanent basis ahead of the 2014–15 season following a successful trial during pre-season. [22] He scored twice in 15 appearances during the opening two months of the season, both goals coming in a 2–1 away victory against Wealdstone. [20] [22] He subsequently joined Wealdstone for an undisclosed fee on 22 October 2014, [22] making his debut in a 6–0 Middlesex Senior Cup victory over Hampton & Richmond Borough. [20] He finished the season with six goals in 28 appearances. [20]
In May 2015, Ball joined USL Premier Development League club Albuquerque Sol, helping the team reach the play-offs, where they were defeated by FC Tucson in the qualifying round. [23] He returned to Wealdstone for the 2015–16 season, making 34 appearances and scoring five times, although he did not feature during the final six weeks of the season. [20]
Ball signed for National League South club St Albans City on 15 June 2016. [24] He scored twice on his first start in a 3–0 away win against Weston-super-Mare on 29 August 2016. [20] After registering four goals in 23 appearances, [20] he joined Isthmian League Premier Division club Hendon on a dual-registration deal in January 2017. [25] Ball scored seven goals in 18 appearances during the second half of the 2016–17 season, [20] before signing permanently with Hendon in June 2017. [25] He went on to make 40 appearances and score four goals during the 2017–18 season, [26] which also included a two-month loan spell at Kings Langley. [20]
Ball joined Southern League Premier Division Central club Biggleswade Town on 22 May 2018. [27] He scored 12 goals from a holding midfield role during the 2018–19 season and added six goals in 40 appearances in 2019–20, before the season was curtailed in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [20] He returned to Hendon in July 2020, making 10 appearances before the campaign was again abandoned amid COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. [20] [26] After recovering from a knee injury, [24] Ball signed for his hometown club Welwyn Garden City on 2 March 2022, [28] aiming to assist the club's pursuit of a Southern League Division One Central play-off position. [29] He scored once in eight appearances, but despite qualifying, the club were ineligible to compete in the play-offs due to ground grading regulations. [20] [30]
After not playing competitively during the 2022–23 season, Ball joined Cockfosters of the Spartan South Midlands League in September 2023. [20] He made five appearances before signing for Stotfold in December 2023. [20] Across the 2023–24 and 2024–25 seasons, he made 40 appearances and scored nine goals for the club. [20]
Ball represented Northern Ireland at under-17, under-19 and under-21 level. [6] [31]
Ball began his career as an attacking midfielder before transitioning to a holding midfield role. [5] He noted that adapting to non-League football required a shift in approach, moving from a creative, playmaking role in academy football to a more physical and disciplined holding position, which he later established himself in at Biggleswade Town. [5]
Ball earned a degree in Business Management from the Open University. [4] While continuing his semi-professional playing career, he also began working as a FIFA-licensed football agent. [4]
| Club | Season | League | FA Cup | League Cup | Other | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Norwich City | 2010–11 [32] | Championship | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011–12 [33] | Premier League | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Total | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Macclesfield Town (loan) | 2011–12 [33] | League Two | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Stevenage | 2012–13 [13] | League One | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2013–14 [34] | League Two | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Total | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Farnborough (loan) | 2012–13 [20] | Conference South | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 7 | 1 | |
| Boreham Wood (loan) | 2013–14 [20] | Conference South | 21 | 4 | 6 | 1 | — | 2 [a] | 0 | 29 | 5 | |
| Farnborough (loan) | 2013–14 [20] | Conference South | 19 | 4 | — | — | 0 | 0 | 19 | 4 | ||
| Farnborough | 2014–15 [20] | Conference South | 12 | 2 | 2 | 0 | — | 1 [b] | 0 | 15 | 2 | |
| Total | 31 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 34 | 6 | ||
| Wealdstone | 2014–15 [20] | Conference South | 24 | 6 | — | — | 4 [c] | 0 | 28 | 6 | ||
| Albuquerque Sol | 2015 | USL Premier Development League | Season statistics not known | |||||||||
| Wealdstone | 2015–16 [20] | National League South | 24 | 3 | 5 | 1 | — | 5 [d] | 1 | 34 | 5 | |
| St Albans City | 2016–17 [20] | National League South | 13 | 2 | 4 | 0 | — | 6 [e] | 2 | 23 | 4 | |
| Hendon | 2016–17 [20] | Isthmian Premier Division | 18 | 7 | — | — | 2 | 0 | 20 | 7 | ||
| 2017–18 [20] | Isthmian Premier Division | 29 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 11 | 2 | 40 | 9 | ||
| Total | 47 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 2 | 60 | 11 | ||
| Kings Langley (loan) | 2017–18 [20] | Southern League Premier Division | 9 | 3 | — | — | 2 [f] | 1 | 11 | 4 | ||
| Biggleswade Town | 2018–19 [20] | Southern League Premier Division Central | Season statistics incomplete [35] | |||||||||
| 2019–20 [20] | Southern League Premier Division Central | 29 | 4 | 3 | 0 | — | 8 [g] | 2 | 40 | 6 | ||
| Total | 29 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2 | 40 | 6 | ||
| Hendon | 2020–21 [20] | Southern League Premier Division South | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 2 [h] | 0 | 10 | 0 | |
| Welwyn Garden City | 2021–22 [20] | Southern League Division One Central | 8 | 1 | — | — | — | 8 | 1 | |||
| Cockfosters | 2023–24 [20] | SSML Premier Division | 4 | 0 | — | — | 1 [i] | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||
| Stotfold | 2023–24 [20] | Southern League Division One Central | 19 | 5 | — | — | 1 [j] | 0 | 20 | 5 | ||
| 2024–25 [20] | Southern League Division One Central | 18 | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 [j] | 0 | 20 | 4 | ||
| Total | 37 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 40 | 9 | ||
| Career totals | 263 | 50 | 21 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 47 | 8 | 331 | 60 | ||
