Alan Ball's Portsmouth life to be celebrated in Kings show

Now family of the late Alan Ball are bringing a show to the Kings Theatre to celebrate the life of a sporting hero.

'˜Remembering Bally' is a tribute to the two-time Blues boss, who passed away in April 2007.

The event, which takes place on Friday, September 21, will feature extracts of Ball's final after-dinner speech, while a number of Pompey players who played under him will be in attendance.

The likes of Alan Knight, Vince Hilaire, Noel Blake, Guy Whittingham, Gavin Maguire, Paul Hardyman and Dave Waterman are all scheduled to appear.

And all donations will go towards the Pompey Academy, Pompey in the Community and the Oakley Waterman Foundation.

Ball's three children will also be present and daughter Keely is hoping for a bumper turn out.

She said: '˜There was a massive place in dad's heart for Portsmouth, it got to him.

'˜He was so passionate about football in general, wherever he went he gave it his soul and wore his heart on his sleave.

'˜As he was so passionate, the club, fans and players became a family to him and, coming back a second time to keep the club up, was really special for him.

'˜With the show, we wanted to concentrate on all the things dad was very passionate about at Portsmouth.

'˜There was the city and what it stood for, the fans, the community and the academy.

'˜I remember aged 13 and going along to watch the youth team with my dad and brother every Sunday, the young players coming through were so important to him.

'˜On the night there will be lots of players and staff present from dad's time at the club, while we also want to encourage the fans to get involved.

'˜His relationship with supporters was a big part of him, too, and they will have the chance to tell their own stories during the evening.

'˜He always said one of his greatest achievements was earning promotion in 1986-87.

'˜And we want to make the evening about the city as much as anything.'

Tickets for '˜Remembering Bally' are priced at £25, with VIP tickets at £45.

Doors open at 6.30pm, with a scheduled 7.30pm start.

For more information visit kingsportsmouth.co.uk/whats-on/show/remembering-bally/