Beach ball bounces into soccer museum

Nov 23 2009 by The Journal

FOOTBALL'S most famous beach ball is to take pride of place at the National Football Museum – next to the ball used when England won the 1966 World Cup.

Sunderland fan Kevin Barlow Beach ball bounces into soccer museum, from South Shields, paid £411 for the famous inflatable, which played a crucial part in his team’s 1-0 win over Liverpool at the Stadium of Light last month.

The 43-year-old has now donated his prize to soccer memorabilia experts, where it will sit alongside the orange ball which Sir Geoff Hurst hammered past the Germans three times in the 1966 final at Wembley.

The beach ball was punted on to the Stadium of Light pitch by a hapless Liverpool fan before kick off of the match on Saturday, October 17.

Five minutes into the game, striker Darren Bent fired in a shot, which took a wicked deflection off the inflatable, wrong-footing Reds keeper Pepe Reina and going into the net.

Football fans across the country went wild to get their hands on the £10 inflatables to taunt Liverpool supporters, but 43-year-old shopkeeper Mr Barlow has the real deal.

He approached Sunderland AFC to see if it would display the beach ball in a cabinet of other memorabilia at the Stadium of Light, but bosses declined the offer.

But now his prize is taking on even more prominence next to the National Football Museum’s most treasured possessions at Preston North End’s Deepdale ground.

He said: “They want to keep it alongside the 1966 World Cup football and the original FA Cup.”