Pele And Maradona Competition: Terms And Conditons

AFR x Ball Street x Ian Wright

It’s a Friday night and there’s one thing on our minds: football. What else? The guys over at Ball Street have invited us, alongside several other blogs, to do what we do best: talk football. Joining us on our very first Google Hangout will be former Crystal Palace and Arsenal striker, England international, Ian Wright.

We’ll be discussing the issues and problems fans and their clubs have to tackle. It’s a broad, but very interesting topic, with plenty of talking points and who knows where it’ll take us.

UPDATE: You can watch the Hangout in full here.

Repping AFR tonight is our man Dom at 8PM GMT. Watch us on their YouTube page and keep up with the project through Twitter @Ball_Street.

What's in a name?

According to the Royal Mail there are only six Ball Streets in the UK, all in North West England.

We didn’t live on one of those but, even though we all come from opposite ends of the country, we grew up on a ball street:  a terraced arena, in footballing heartlands like Glasgow, Manchester, Luton and, er, Wakefield.  Playing the game in its simplest form, where the kerb completed more passes than Iniesta.

That’s where the name Ball Street name from, but behind it lies something much bigger.

Which of these feet did the 239 league goals come from?

BALL STREET CONCEPTS

So, what is exactly is Ball Street?

Many of you have been asking the same thing.  What is Ball Street?

Ball Street is an idea, a vision, where the size of a club, and the league it is playing in doesn't determine the quality of insight and the level of coverage that the club gets.

We understand that more people are always going to watch Top 6 games, and that things aren't going to be solved overnight, but if we #ClubTogether believe we can change things.

  The start

Ball Street started as a small collective of football fans (including Luton, Huddersfield, Forest, Leeds and Rangers) who shared the view that most proper football fans are missing out.  With a few skills and experiences in production and sports media, we reached out to Ian Wright to see if he wanted to be a part of it.

Fans of most teams would have admired the passion he showed on the pitch, but most important to us, Ian knows the value of all clubs and the role football plays in our culture.

Before our meeting with Ian, he sent this tweet.  The response was fantastic and like he said to us, "we gotta get something done".

Serious question peeps - Who do you support and do you get what you need in terms of media coverage?

January 21, 2013

THANKS 4 amazing response.Most fans not happy with their teams coverage. Me and @ball_street are gonna take this on. Will need help tho!!

January 21, 2013

Having Ian Wright on board is huge for the cause.  He has profile; he has experience; he has contacts; and he wants to be part of something that benefits the game he loves.  But he can't do it alone, and neither can we. We need your help.

  Where are we heading?

It's too early to say exactly what Ball Street will become.  You're with us here on the ground floor as we start out on this journey.

At the very least, we're going to create a digital football show with Ian Wright that provides a platform for, and can be shaped by, fans of all teams. 

Consider our first production a pilot; a co-production created with your help and contributions.  We can shape something that we all want to see.

We don't have the funds of resources of the big boys, just a few quid that we've cobbled together from friends and family.  

We have many ideas about how we can work with fans, bloggers, established media companies and other organisations, and judging by your tweets and emails so do you.  So keep them coming, keep believing and please look out for, watch and contribute to our first show.

Jimmy Bullard with Ball Street

Ball Street is looking for talent!!

Isn't every league a 'premier' league?

by Matt, Ball Street

First things first, this isn’t it.   People keep asking what we’re up to and we’ve some exciting things in the pipeline - more of which soon.   For now we thought we’d do a blog to introduce ourselves and tell you about where we are coming from.

I’m a Huddersfield Town fan.  In all my time watching the Terriers we’ve never graced the top flight of English Football.  But every year, we’re in a league that matters more to me.  Last year it was League One; this coming season it will be the Championship. 

Now, like me, something like 80% of fans that actually attend matches support teams outside the top 6.  You wouldn’t think that from the coverage our teams receive or the quality of the analysis. 

Sure, Man United’s global fanbase of 333 million has to be catered for, but are the majority of football fans in the UK getting what they need from the media?

It’s still the usual suspects serving up the same old, pre-packaged lack of coverage be it on telly or online.  In our version of the ‘Usual Suspects’, the greatest trick the devil pulled was convincing the world that there was a ‘premier’ league so that we put up with this.

We don’t hate the Premier League, far from it.  We just think that every league is a premier league, and there should be a place where all fans, all teams, get the top six treatment.

Over the coming months and years, Ball Street’s going to try to do something about it.

twitter: @Ball_Street

Ball Street Job Opportunity

Role:  Ball Street short term paid internship (London)

Start date:  Immediate (August 2013)

  Ball Street is a new football media company that makes original football content for digital platforms.  For additional background, please visit the following links:

http://ballstreet.tumblr.com

https://www.youtube.com/user/Ballstreetchannel

  Overview

We are offering a 4-6 week internship for the right candidate

to work with us on an exciting project.  The role would suit

someone who is keen to get a grounding in sports media with

an exciting start up business and who has a genuine passion

for football.  Tasks may include, but are not limited to,

research, editorial input, video production and office

management.

  Ideal for someone within a reasonable distance of London,

the role will pay the minimum wage (up to £6.19 per hour).

Ideally you’ll have your own laptop but this is not essential.

  Desired experience

Football fanatic with a good understanding of what Ball Street represents

Sound knowledge of existing and emerging social media platforms

Knowledge of the football media landscape and blogosphere

Previous video editing, blogging or writing experience a plus

Solid writing and communication skills

Excellent research skills and a keen eye for detail

Confident telephone manner, energy, focus and ambition

Applications from graduates welcome but not essential

How to apply

Send a CV and covering letter with any relevant examples of football writing or video production by email to clubtogether@ballstreet.co.uk and reference Ball Street Internship in the title.

  We look forward to hearing from you!