Last week I ordered a whole load of training balls for my team to replace the ones we have from last season that are starting to show some signs of wear and tear. The balls we have can get us by but the funds are there so we might as well use them. This got me thinking though. The footballs that I’m replacing are still in semi decent condition. They will no doubt sit in my shed until they go flat, lose shape and become unusable. I think I’ve got a solution for what to do with them and with a bit of help and support from all of my readers we can try and get this to take off.

I’m going to keep a few of the balls I no longer need in my car and whenever I see a group of young boys in the street or at the park I’ll stop the car and hand one of them over. It’s the summer holidays and kids that are still of school age should be out playing football all day in my opinion. Thinking back to my younger years we used to go through a load of balls every summer because we played constantly from morning until night. If doing this means we have got a group of kids playing for the rest of that week or we generate an interest in football for one boy then we have already won.  I’m also mindful that there are kids out there who’s parents can’t afford to buy them a ball so this gesture could mean the boy has his own to look after and for a change he can be the one the rest of them want to go in for because he has the best ball.

There are hundreds of amateur teams out there and no doubt scores of you have new balls for the season. Have a think about where your old ones are and how we can put them to better use. The younger generation aren’t out playing in the streets any more like we used to. Let’s try and spark some interest back into them and get them involved in the game again at proper grassroots level. Even the basic ball and a wall routine has gone from our streets. 

Spread the word and let’s see how far we can take this. Get involved and post your photos of the footballs you are giving away to the kids in your community and use the hashtag

#PassItOn

The Gaffer