Steve Ball

{{Short description|English association footballer, manager (born 1969)}}

{{Infobox football biography

| name = Steve Ball

| fullname = Steven John Ball{{cite web |title=Colchester United – Player profile |url=http://www.coludata.co.uk/player.asp?pid=488 |publisher=Coludata.co.uk |access-date=20 March 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120506214003/http://www.coludata.co.uk/player.asp?pid=488 |archive-date=6 May 2012 }}

|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=y|1969|09|02}}{{cite web |title=Steve Ball – Football Stats – Soccer Base |url=http://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=359 |publisher=Soccerbase |accessdate=20 March 2013 }}

| birth_place = Colchester, England

| height = 1.80 m

| currentclub =

| position = Midfielder

| youthyears1 = |youthclubs1 = Arsenal

| years1 = 1987–1989 |clubs1 = Arsenal |caps1 = 0 |goals1 = 0

| years2 = 1989–1990 |clubs2 = Colchester United |caps2 = 4 |goals2 = 0

| years3 = 1990–1992 |clubs3 = Norwich City |caps3 = 2 |goals3 = 0

| years4 = 1992 |clubs4 = Cambridge United |caps4 = 0 |goals4 = 0

| years5 = 1992–1996 |clubs5 = Colchester United |caps5 = 64 |goals5 = 7

| years6 = 1996–1998 |clubs6 = Sudbury Town |caps6 = 77 |goals6 = 14

| years7 = 1998 |clubs7 = Heybridge Swifts |caps7 = |goals7 =

| years8 = 2003 |clubs8 = Long Melford |caps8 = |goals8 =

| totalcaps = 147 | totalgoals = 21

| manageryears1 = 1998–2003 |managerclubs1 = Stanway Rovers

| manageryears2 = 2006 |managerclubs2 = Clacton Town

| manageryears3 = 2013–2014 |managerclubs3 = Leiston

| manageryears4 = 2015–2016 |managerclubs4 = Maldon & Tiptree

| manageryears5 = 2016 |managerclubs5 = Colchester United (caretaker)

| manageryears6 = 2020–2021 |managerclubs6 = Colchester United

| manageryears7 = 2022 |managerclubs7 = Colchester United (interim)

}}

Steven John Ball (born 2 September 1969) is an English football manager and former professional footballer. Ball is the Head of Academy Coaching at League Two club Colchester United.

Ball began his career with Arsenal, with whom he won the FA Youth Cup in 1988, but failed to make a first-team appearance for the club. He made his Football League debut with Colchester United, where he had two stints separated by spells with Norwich City and Cambridge United. In a career blighted by injury, Ball made 70 Football League appearances between 1987 and 1996. He also spent time in non-League football with Sudbury Town, Heybridge Swifts, and briefly Long Melford.

Ball was manager at Stanway Rovers, Clacton Town, Leiston and Maldon & Tiptree, and was part of the coaching team at Colchester United before being named assistant manager to David Wright and John McGreal, and becoming head coach in July 2020. He parted company with Colchester in February 2021.

Playing career

Ball, born in Colchester, began his career with London-based club Arsenal. In 1988, he won the FA Youth Cup, but failed to live up to his promise with the club, failing to make a first-team appearance following an ankle-ligament injury.{{cite web |title=Flown From The Nest – Steve Ball |url=http://www.ex-canaries.co.uk/players/ball.htm |publisher=Flown From The Nest |accessdate=20 March 2013 }}

After his release from Arsenal, Ball joined hometown club Colchester United and made four appearances during their ill-fated 1989–90 season in which they were relegated from the Football League to the Conference.{{cite web |title=Former U's midfielder Steve Ball joins Academy coaching staff – Colchester United – East Anglian Daily Times |url=http://www.eadt.co.uk/sport/colchester-united/former_u_s_midfielder_steve_ball_joins_academy_coaching_staff_1_1368077 |publisher=EADT |accessdate=20 March 2013 }}{{cite web |title=STEVE BALL |url=http://www.neilbrown.newcastlefans.com/player3/steveball.html |publisher=Post War English & Scottish Football League A – Z Player's Database |accessdate=20 March 2013 }}

Ball signed for Norwich City after leaving Colchester, managing just two appearances for the club between 1990 and 1992. He briefly signed for Cambridge United in August 1992 but had left by September to re-sign for Colchester.

He had an improved second stint with the U's, accumulating 64 league appearances and scoring seven goals. He had been restricted to signing a rolling monthly contract, struggling with injuries, before leaving to join Sudbury Town in 1996.

Ball made 77 appearances and scored 14 goals for Sudbury until 1998. He joined Heybridge Swifts briefly, before being appointed manager of Stanway Rovers. While managing Rovers, Ball worked for a Colchester-based stationery company. He left in 2003 to join Long Melford as a player, but was not fit enough to play regularly. He quit in December 2003.

Coaching career

Ball was appointed assistant manager of Clacton Town in 2004, but financial problems in the summer of 2005 led to him leaving the club. He returned in 2006 as manager, but was required to resign after his job based in Colchester was restructured to cover Birmingham and the Midlands. Ball later returned to Stanway Rovers as assistant manager, before joining Leiston as assistant manager in 2010.

In summer 2012, Ball was offered a full-time coaching position with the Colchester United Academy at their new training complex based in Tiptree. He returned to Leiston as assistant manager to Steve Pitt in October 2013,{{cite news |last1=Brammer |first1=Chris |date=20 October 2013 |title=Leiston chief reveals reasons behind appointments of Steve Pitt and Steve Ball |url=http://www.greenun24.co.uk/non-league/leiston_chief_reveals_reasons_behind_appointments_of_steve_pitt_and_steve_ball_1_2908963 |newspaper=Green'Un |location=Ipswich |accessdate=3 January 2016 }} however, Pitt left the club after just six weeks in the role, leaving Ball in charge.{{cite news |last1=Bacon |first1=Mike |date=4 December 2013 |title=New Leiston boss Steve Ball takes charge with Rob Bate at Victory Road |url=http://www.greenun24.co.uk/non-league/new_leiston_boss_steve_ball_takes_charge_with_rob_bate_at_victory_road_1_3068529 |newspaper=Green'Un |location=Ipswich |accessdate=3 January 2016 }}

In October 2014, Ball left Leiston to make a return to Colchester United in a full-time coaching role.{{cite news |last1=Rees |first1=David |date=27 October 2014 |title=Report — Steve Ball leaves Leiston with a win as he heads for Colchester United |url=http://www.eadt.co.uk/sport/report_steve_ball_leaves_leiston_with_a_win_as_he_heads_for_colchester_united_1_3821202 |newspaper=East Anglian Daily Times |location=Ipswich |accessdate=3 January 2016 }}

Ball was appointed as manager of Maldon & Tiptree in December 2015 after former manager and fellow Colchester United coach David Wright was promoted to assistant manager at the U's. Ball continued to combine his coaching role at Colchester with his part-time role managing the Jammers, working with John McGreal with the under-21 side.{{cite news |last1=Waldron |first1=Jonathan |date=29 December 2015 |title=Colchester United academy coach Steve Ball succeeds David Wright in Maldon and Tiptree hot seat |url=http://www.gazette-news.co.uk/sport/14172198.U_s_academy_coach_Steve_Ball_takes_over_at_Maldon_and_Tiptree/ |newspaper=Daily Gazette |location=Colchester |accessdate=3 January 2016 }} He led his side to a seventh-placed finish in the Isthmian League Division One North table.{{cite news |last1=Waldron |first1=Jonathan |date=28 April 2016 |title=Ball enjoying feel-good factor at Maldon and Tiptree |url=http://www.maldonandburnhamstandard.co.uk/sport/14452693.Ball_enjoying_feel_good_factor_at_Maldon_and_Tiptree/ |newspaper=Maldon Standard |location=Braintree |accessdate=30 April 2016 }} After Colchester United manager Kevin Keen left the club following their relegation from League One on 26 April 2016, Ball was named as assistant to newly appointed caretaker manager David Wright for the final two games of the season.{{cite news |last1=Marston |first1=Carl |date=29 April 2016 |title="I'll be taking stock in the summer" – Colchester United caretaker David Wright |url=http://www.greenun24.co.uk/colchester-united/i_ll_be_taking_stock_in_the_summer_colchester_united_caretaker_david_wright_1_4514971? |newspaper=Green'Un |location=Ipswich |accessdate=30 April 2016 }} Ball was then appointed assistant manager to incoming first-team coach John McGreal on 4 May. This meant Ball parted company with Maldon & Tiptree after a successful season in the Isthmian League.{{cite news |last1=Plummer |first1=Matt |date=4 May 2016 |title=Ball parts company with Maldon and Tiptree to take up new role at Colchester United |url=http://www.gazette-news.co.uk/sport/colchesterunited/14470654.Ball_parts_company_with_Maldon_to_take_up_new_U_s_role/? |newspaper=Daily Gazette |location=Colchester |accessdate=4 May 2016 }} With McGreal's role set to commence following Colchester's final game of the season against Rochdale on 7 May, Ball was named as the club's fifth caretaker manager of the season after David Wright was made unavailable for personal reasons.{{cite news |last1=Waldron |first1=Jonathan |date=6 May 2016 |title="Proud" Ball to take charge of the U's against Rochdale |url=http://www.gazette-news.co.uk/sport/colchesterunited/14473939._quot_Proud_quot__Ball_to_take_charge_of_the_U_s_against_Rochdale/? |newspaper=Daily Gazette |location=Colchester |accessdate=6 May 2016 }} The game ended 2–1 to Rochdale.{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/36180729 |title=Colchester United 1–2 Rochdale |date=8 May 2016 |publisher=BBC Sport |accessdate=9 May 2016 }}

After four years as McGreal's assistant, Ball succeeded him as head coach on 28 July 2020.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/53567596 |title=Colchester United: Steve Ball named new head coach |publisher=BBC Sport |date=28 July 2020 |accessdate=29 July 2020}} However, following a run of 13 games without a win, Ball parted company with the club on 23 February 2021.{{cite web |title=Steve Ball: Colchester part company with head coach after 13-game winless run in League Two |url=https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11702/12227336/steve-ball-colchester-part-company-with-head-coach-after-13-game-winless-run-in-league-two |publisher=Sky Sports |date=23 February 2021 |access-date=27 February 2021}} Having returned to the club in the role of technical director, Ball was placed in interim charge of the first-team in September 2022 following the sacking of Wayne Brown.{{cite web|url=https://www.cu-fc.com/news/2022/september/head-coach-search-underway/|title=Search For Head Coach Already Underway|website=cu-fc.com|date=20 September 2022|accessdate=21 September 2022}}

Career statistics

=Managerial statistics=

{{updated|match played 24 September 2022}}{{cite web | url=http://www.maldontiptreefc.co.uk/teams/102582/fixtures-results | title=Fixtures And Results | work=Maldon & Tiptree FC |accessdate=4 May 2016 }}

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
rowspan="2"\|Team !rowspan="2"\|From !rowspan="2"\|To !colspan="6"\|Record
G	W	D	L	Win %
align=left\|Leiston \| align=left\|4 December 2013 \| align=left\|25 October 2014 {{WDL\|44\|22\|10\|12}}
align=left\|Maldon & Tiptree \| align=left\|29 December 2015 \| align=left\|4 May 2016 {{WDL\|22\|13\|6\|3}}
align=left\|Colchester United (caretaker) \| align=left\|4 May 2016 \| align=left\|8 May 2016 {{WDL\|1\|0\|0\|1}}
align=left\|Colchester United \| align=left\|28 July 2020 \| align=left\|23 February 2021 {{WDL\|34\|8\|13\|13}}
align=left\|Colchester United (interim) \| align=left\|18 September 2022 \| align=left\|30 September 2022 {{WDL\|1\|0\|0\|1}}
colspan="3"\|Total {{WDLtot\|102\|43\|29\|30}}

class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"

rowspan="2"|Team

!rowspan="2"|From

!rowspan="2"|To

!colspan="6"|Record

Win %

align=left|Leiston

| align=left|4 December 2013

| align=left|25 October 2014

align=left|Maldon & Tiptree

| align=left|29 December 2015

| align=left|4 May 2016