Thank you, Bally: Paying tribute to a Sunderland AFC legend after three decades of service

Ball is revered on Wearside not just for his playing exploits as captain and four-time player-of-the-year in the heart of midfield, but for his association with the club that has run for over three decades.

Ball twice led the club to promotion to the Premier League and after retiring from playing would go on to play an integral role in the club’s academy, overseeing the development of players such as Jordan Henderson and Jordan Pickford.

Most recently he has served as a club ambassador. Chairman Kyril Louis-Dreyfus said Ball ‘will always be welcome’ at the club.

But what legacy will leave at the club and how will he be remembered on a human level?

Here, Echo writers James Copley and Phil Smith share their thoughts and memories on a bonafide Wearside hero:

James Copley: “It really is a shame that his service to the club has come to an end.”

I was absolutely bricking it the first time I met Kevin Ball.

Born in 1994, I was a little too young to remember the player but you hear the stories and watch the tapes back.

At the time, I was a young, fresh-faced student sports journalist heading to the Black Cat House to interview Bally for a fanzine.

This was a big deal for me, meeting an icon and legend of the club I had supported all of my life.

The biggest thing I’d done up until that point was to publish a few Sunderland RCA reports to the university website… not that there’s anything wrong with that.

Bally was great, though, a real gentleman. He was welcoming and, most crucially, honest!

I was nervous but he put me at ease whilst still managing to playfully rib my friend Graham about his haircut (photo attached so the reader can make their own decisions on that one).

Bally was asked if there was any particular opponent from Newcastle United that he liked to tackle during the legendary derbies of old.

"All of them! Anyone I could get me hands or studs on,” Bally replied with a big grin on his face.

He was deadly serious too and wasn’t playing to the gallery – he meant every word.

A few months later we met again for a follow-up interview.

Bally actually came to the university campus in Sunderland to meet me on this occasion, which I always really appreciated, it was a small gesture and one he didn’t have to make.

I still remember the date – November 1, 2017… the day after Simon Grayson was sacked as Sunderland manager.

There’s no way he’s turning up, I thought to myself. He’ll be needed at the club. He might even get the job!

Sure enough, there he was, at the agreed meeting place ten minutes early, still living by his words and the standards that he had set at Sunderland for so long.

Hundreds if not thousands of Sunderland fans will share similar stories involving Bally in the coming days, which really is a mark of the man and how generous he has been with his time over the years.

It really is a shame that his service to the club has come to an end and I can’t help feel he was underused in recent times.

All that remains is to wish Kevin Ball and his family the best for the future and thank him for everything he has done.

Phil Smith: “Humility, respect, hard work and yes, plenty of quality too.”

Players, managers… plenty pass through. How many leave a genuine legacy?

Not many, but Kevin Ball is one.

There was Kevin the player. A superb central midfielder, combative and better technically than he was often given credit for. ‘Is a good tackle not skilful, a good header?’ he will often ask you. Bang on the money, as he always is.

An FA Cup finalist, four times player of the year, two-time promotion winner. Some CV; and he was only just getting started.

Then there was Kevin the coach. Who stepped up twice to the top job when his club needed it, and who played a defining role in the careers of so many.

In Jordan Henderson and Jordan Pickford there were two players who embodied the standards Ball set, all the way to the very top. But Kevin’s influence really is everywhere, players across the EFL and beyond who would be the first to tell you they owe so much of what they have achieved to the lessons first instilled on Wearside.

Humility, respect, hard work and yes, plenty of quality too.

And that is Bally’s greatest legacy, one that will endure long beyond his departure.

That Sunderland should play on the front foot, dig in and never give up. That you should always treat people with respect, and greet them with a (crushing) handshake.

His departure will come as a blow to supporters, who knew that as long as he was at the club there was always someone there who got it, who understood it.

You hope that this is not the end of his long and proud association with the club, because anyone who has been fortunate enough to spend time with him knows exactly what he has to offer.

Thanks, Bally, and I think I speak for Wearside when I say we hope to see you very, very soon.

A message from the Football Clubs Editor

Our aim is to provide you with the best, most up-to-date and most informative Sunderland AFC coverage 365 days a year.

This depth of coverage costs, so to help us maintain the high-quality reporting that you are used to, please consider taking out a subscription to our new sports-only package here.

Your support is much appreciated. Richard Mennear, Football Clubs Editor