Ball boys

The ball went out of play hundreds of times in the game on Saturday. We had no ball boys and I reckon at least five minutes of play was lost retrieving the ball. It also made it easy for the Cambridge keeper to waste time as he had to go in person and retrieve the ball several times. We don't create many chances but if we are wiping minutes out of the playing time it doesn't help with the lack of goals! Can we have the ball boys back?

No, because whenever they are there, they don’t do their job!

Should get the gtfc junior players to do it.

Maybe the club should ask young fans to pay to do the job like being the mascot.

Quoted from Grantley

No, because whenever they are there, they don’t do their job!

Exactly.

Quoted from Sigone

Should get the gtfc junior players to do it.

Sure this used to be the case at one time that youth players got the gig, but maybe they play on a Saturday as well ?

Used to be a schools thing when i was a lad, a different local school footy team would get the honour...and it felt like an honour...of being chosen to do it....kids would nearly scrap with each other to get the ball back then..not sit on  their @rses ignoring the ball and looking at their instagram or snapchat messages as they seem to now.

The more unscrupulous/ professional managers seem to ensure the ball boys are well trained in the dark art of speedy ball return or oh dear my gout is playing up slow return technique, depending upon the score at any given time.

Surely the club are missing something here, why don't they contact schools in the area and ask whoever in charge if they have lads/lassies who would be interested to be ballboys/girls for a certain match. There must be children that would relish the chance at a league game who would like to attend but their parents can't afford to pay for a match ticket. I would have felt  privileged to have been a ballboy for my town team when I was a lad.

I once saw a ball boy in the Harrington St Corner actually pick the ball up before it went out of play during a game in the late 70's, very funny poor lad, the ref just got him to put it back where he got it from and got on with the game.  

Quoted from Grimal

Surely the club are missing something here, why don't they contact schools in the area and ask whoever in charge if they have lads/lassies who would be interested to be ballboys/girls for a certain match. There must be children that would relish the chance at a league game who would like to attend but their parents can't afford to pay for a match ticket. I would have felt  privileged to have been a ballboy for my town team when I was a lad.

They had lads from the local junior leagues doing it for a few years but they never really seem to know what they are supposed to do

Quoted from Grimal

Surely the club are missing something here, why don't they contact schools in the area and ask whoever in charge if they have lads/lassies who would be interested to be ballboys/girls for a certain match. There must be children that would relish the chance at a league game who would like to attend but their parents can't afford to pay for a match ticket. I would have felt  privileged to have been a ballboy for my town team when I was a lad.

Probably an excuse somewhere regards H&S , CRB checks , insurance liability if a ball hits one of them....etc etc