You might not look twice at them if you were out and about, but there’s a whole world of abandoned footballs lining the streets of the world, and two guys have decided to document it.
The Twitter account @Lostfootballs was set up in March 2013 by Matthew Lutz, 44, from Birmingham, and his friend Adam Barnfield.
They have amassed a following of more than 11,000 people who follow for pictures of discarded balls in a variety of locations, sent in by members of the public.
@Lostfootballs sad find on the dog walk today… pic.twitter.com/SNAMKgfp4p
— Ade Broadway (@AdeBroadway) September 17, 2018
“I was walking the dog as normal and had noticed a lost ball in the park behind our house for a few days and wondered why no-one had claimed it, and that there must be a story,” Matthew told the Press Association.
“I posted it on my personal Twitter account and it got loads of likes and retweets. It made me think about the photo and how the ball instantly changes what would otherwise be a pretty boring photo of a park.”
Indeed, the unique selling point of @Lostfootballs is the rather bleak nature of the pictures, which only seems to add to the balls’ sad stories.
Leeds Liverpool Canal. @Lostfootballs pic.twitter.com/3S8D5msjRv
— Urban Goals (@UrbanGoals) September 15, 2018
Matthew and Adam often add song lyrics to the public’s submissions, furthering the narrative for each image.
That’s me in the cornerThat’s me in the spotlightLosing my religion https://t.co/2W3nmiIYfQ
— Lost Footballs (@Lostfootballs) August 8, 2018
“The feedback we have received is that the photos and associated lyrics make people feel nostalgic, as almost everyone can relate to the context of a city street, beach or flowing river,” said Matthew.
“Family, friends and social media followers, some of whom have no interest in football, now find themselves ball-spotting.”
@Lostfootballs seen at Foss Island, Morrisons , York #YCFC pic.twitter.com/daMddtCLfP
— Robert Butterwick (@RGButters22) September 21, 2018
As for their favourite type of submission, it seems the more confusing the better.
“We both love those that are hard to explain – a ball on top of a mountain somewhere, stuck on a fascia of a building or stuck in the eaves of a church,” said Matthew.
@Lostfootballs even ignored by penguins pic.twitter.com/0Bt4N4TRJ3
— Mark (@drmigra) September 9, 2018
“But the mundane are also great,” he added. “I still love a random ball on a street corner, and a ball on top of a bus stop is the ultimate for me!”
@Lostfootballs Waiting for the bus that never came… pic.twitter.com/T9ZJSksoY9
— Paul Robertson (@pauliewoll) July 10, 2018
If seeing lost footballs on your Twitter account isn’t enough for you, Matthew and Adam are bringing out a calendar for a great cause.
All profits will go to the Sporting Memories Foundation, a charity that supports older people across the UK living with dementia, depression and loneliness, using sport.
“For those of us that do love sport then we all remember playing as kids (and adults) and losing a ball. That’s maybe the simplicity of it – it can evoke powerful memories,” said Matthew.
“That’s what made the link with Sporting Memories so easy and we’re delighted that all profits from this calendar will go to support all the terrific work they do.”
To find out more about the calendar, click here.
