Phil Ball
Encyclopedia
Phil Ball is a British writer based in Spain. He has lived in Donostia-San Sebastián
, Spain
, for almost twenty years. Born in Canada to English parents, Ball grew up in Grimsby
on the north east coast of England
, having moved there as a child in 1957. As a youngster Ball supported Grimsby Town
, saying "I was brought up on lower league football". After finishing University, Ball took up an English teaching post in a state comprehensive school in Hull. He subsequently taught in Peru and later Oman, eventually moving to San Sebastián after the first Gulf War
.
Phil Ball is a life-long football enthusiast, and his first published book was the acclaimed Morbo: the story of Spanish football (2001). The book linked the traditional antagonisms in Spanish football (the “Morbo” of the title) to the regional, linguistic and political divisions of Spain as a country.
White Storm: 100 years of Real Madrid
(2002) was the first English-language history of the famous Spanish football club, written to celebrate its centenary, using a similar socio-political approach to that taken in Morbo. The book is on its third edition, has been translated into various languages, and was finally published in Spanish in September 2009 under the title 'Tormenta Blanca'.
An Englishman Abroad : Beckham’s Spanish adventure (2004) chronicled the first year of English footballer David Beckham
's spell at the Real Madrid club.
Phil Ball’s 2006 publication The Hapless Teacher’s Handbook marked a departure from sports writing, being a humorous autobiographical account of his own early years as a schoolteacher in England.
Phil Ball has contributed football articles to a number of sports publications, including When Saturday Comes
, ESPNsoccernet
, The New York Times
and Financial Times
. Phil Ball has also worked as an announcer for Sky Sports' La Liga
broadcast.
He is also prominent in the world of language education, and has authored a wide variety of scholastic material for the Spanish curriculum. He specialises in the area known as CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) and has contributed a number of articles and publications to the field.
San Sebastián
Donostia-San Sebastián is a city and municipality located in the north of Spain, in the coast of the Bay of Biscay and 20 km away from the French border. The city is the capital of Gipuzkoa, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. The municipality’s population is 186,122 , and its...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, for almost twenty years. Born in Canada to English parents, Ball grew up in Grimsby
Grimsby
Grimsby is a seaport on the Humber Estuary in Lincolnshire, England. It has been the administrative centre of the unitary authority area of North East Lincolnshire since 1996...
on the north east coast of England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, having moved there as a child in 1957. As a youngster Ball supported Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town F.C.
Grimsby Town Football Club is an English football club based in the seaside town of Cleethorpes, in North East Lincolnshire, England, who compete in the Conference National. They were formed in 1878 as Grimsby Pelham and later became Grimsby Town...
, saying "I was brought up on lower league football". After finishing University, Ball took up an English teaching post in a state comprehensive school in Hull. He subsequently taught in Peru and later Oman, eventually moving to San Sebastián after the first Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
.
Phil Ball is a life-long football enthusiast, and his first published book was the acclaimed Morbo: the story of Spanish football (2001). The book linked the traditional antagonisms in Spanish football (the “Morbo” of the title) to the regional, linguistic and political divisions of Spain as a country.
White Storm: 100 years of Real Madrid
Real Madrid C.F.
Real Madrid Club de Fútbol , commonly known as Real Madrid, is a professional football club based in Madrid, Spain. The club have won a record 31 La Liga titles, the Primera División of the Liga de Fútbol Profesional , 18 Copas del Rey, 8 Spanish Super Cups, 1 Copa Eva Duarte and 1 Copa de la...
(2002) was the first English-language history of the famous Spanish football club, written to celebrate its centenary, using a similar socio-political approach to that taken in Morbo. The book is on its third edition, has been translated into various languages, and was finally published in Spanish in September 2009 under the title 'Tormenta Blanca'.
An Englishman Abroad : Beckham’s Spanish adventure (2004) chronicled the first year of English footballer David Beckham
David Beckham
David Robert Joseph Beckham, OBE is an English footballer who plays midfield for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer, having previously played for Manchester United, Preston North End, Real Madrid, and A.C...
's spell at the Real Madrid club.
Phil Ball’s 2006 publication The Hapless Teacher’s Handbook marked a departure from sports writing, being a humorous autobiographical account of his own early years as a schoolteacher in England.
Phil Ball has contributed football articles to a number of sports publications, including When Saturday Comes
When Saturday Comes
When Saturday Comes is a monthly magazine about football, first published in London in 1986. "It aims to provide a voice for intelligent football supporters, offering both a serious and humorous view of the sport, covering all the topics that fans are likely to talk about, whether serious or...
, ESPNsoccernet
ESPNsoccernet
ESPN Soccernet is a website that provides comprehensive coverage of world football . Complete football information includes scores, statistics, and features of worldwide football.-History:...
, The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
and Financial Times
Financial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
. Phil Ball has also worked as an announcer for Sky Sports' La Liga
La Liga
The Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
broadcast.
He is also prominent in the world of language education, and has authored a wide variety of scholastic material for the Spanish curriculum. He specialises in the area known as CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) and has contributed a number of articles and publications to the field.