| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Kevin Anthony Ball | ||
| Date of birth | (1964-11-12)12 November 1964 (age 60) | ||
| Place of birth | Hastings, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[1] | ||
| Position(s) | Defender,midfielder | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1981–1982 | Coventry City | 0 | (0) |
| 1982–1990 | Portsmouth | 105 | (4) |
| 1990–1999 | Sunderland | 340 | (21) |
| 1999–2000 | Fulham | 18 | (0) |
| 2000–2002 | Burnley | 82 | (2) |
| Total | 545 | (27) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2006 | Sunderland (caretaker) | ||
| 2013 | Sunderland (caretaker) | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Kevin Ball (born 12 November 1964) is an English former professionalfootballer who played forPortsmouth,Sunderland,Fulham andBurnley. Since his retirement, he has held a number of positions at Sunderland, including twice beingcaretaker manager, and was most recently a club ambassador.
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Born inHastings, Ball began his career in central defence but eventually moved into central midfield. He played 389 games for Sunderland in all competitions, scoring 27 goals. His career took off with a spell atPortsmouth and, after leaving Sunderland, he had spells atFulham andBurnley. Whilst at Sunderland, he played in the1992 FA Cup Final where they lost 2–0 toLiverpool.[2]
Ball, a former clubcaptain, was named Sunderland Player of the Year for the1990–91 season, and again in1996–97, the year they were relegated from thePremier League. He was part of the Sunderland sides that wonFirst Division titles in 1996 and 1999.[3]
Between 6 March and 8 May 2006 Ball acted as Sunderlandcaretaker manager for the last ten games of the2005–06 season following the sacking ofMick McCarthy, taking five points from these games.[4] Although Ball expressed his interest in the manager's job on a full-time basis, incoming chairmanNiall Quinn was keen for the club to appoint a 'world-class manager' following the club's takeover by theDrumaville Consortium, ruling Ball out of the running. Ball remained at Sunderland under the new regime, returning to his former post of assistantacademy manager.
ManagerMartin O'Neill promoted Ball to become the club's senior professional development coach in July 2012, which included being responsible for the club's reserve team and the club's under-21 players. In 2013, he again became caretaker manager following the sacking of Paolo Di Canio.[5] Ball's first game in charge resulted in a 2–0 home win over Peterborough in theLeague Cup. He oversaw a further two games,[6] beforeGus Poyet was appointed to the role.[7] After a long spell as a Club Ambassador at Sunderland he was made redundant in 2022.[8][9][10]
Sunderland
Individual
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Sunderland A.F.C. captain 1995 - 1999 | Succeeded by |