The Ball 2002

The Ball 2002: Football's Leaving Home

All the video vignettes that are interwoven into the 2002 blog can be found on this page. See below for the two featured movies that will give you the best idea of what we were up to, or browse the entire list further down. At present, the film is 1hr 47min 19sec long if you chose to watch all the episodes...

If you don't already have video software for your computer, you can get the Quicktime Player here (available for Mac and PC). Note: the videos may take a long time to download if you don't have a fast internet connection - and by fast, we mean quicker than a modem.

Whenever you come across a video in the stories, you'll see a section like this one...

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8000 Miles in Five Minutes The promo video. The trip, the whole trip, and nothing but the trip Duration: 5min 48sec

The faster and slower links below the image of the Quicktime player will launch your chosen video in a popup window, from which you can "scroll" back and forth through the videos in chronological sequence. Faster movies are encoded at about 300kbps, while slower movies are around 100kbps. Our advice, fairly obviously, is that you try the faster one first - then, if it's too slow, you can opt for the slower version. For convenience, you can also see the duration of the clip before you decide to launch the player.

Five Minute Promo

Yes, the whole trip in five minutes! Watch The Ball as it is kicked from Battersea Park, London, UK to the Opening Ceremony in Seoul, Korea. The Ball gets kicked through many famous locations, and is played with by many local people along the way. This one's hosted by Vimeo, so no need for faster/slower links.

CNN Interview

Phil and Chris make a three minute appearance on CNN, interviewed by Tim Lister outside the World Cup Stadium in Seoul. Watch this for a great overview of the 2002 trip. Many thanks to CNN for the use of this material.

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All Videos

England

The FLH LNN Remix → [ play in popup ]
A remix of the London Tonight story, with additional footage of the game and post-match awards.

Kicking Off → [ play in popup ]
We leave England - the start of our epic journey to Korea

Belgium

The Christmas Truce Game → [ play in popup ]
In which we look for the field where the game was played

Holland

Amsterdam Departure → [ play in popup ]
Eastern European buskers accompany our kickabout with a pair of Nigerian students as we head for Berlin

Germany

Tour of Berlin → [ play in popup ]
The Ball is chipped over the Berlin Wall and passed through the Brandenburg Gate. Chris explains a separate reason for why he's doing this trip

Dogged by Slipups → [ play in popup ]
In which Chris encounters one of Berlin's less appealing aspects and hope's it's not an omen

Berlin to Moscow → [ play in popup ]
One train ride, four countries, and little bit of cheating

Russia

A Trip on the Moscow Metro → [ play in popup ]
The Ball takes a ride on the famous Moscow Metro

Those dealings in full → [ play in popup ]
A dodgy encounter with a dodgy official - we come very close to our first yellow card

Torpedo Zil! → [ play in popup ]
We go to watch our first game, but have more fun playing our first game of the trip afterwards

Spartak! → [ play in popup ]
We visit the Luzhniki Stadium and are surprised on many counts

Visa Training → [ play in popup ]
Phil and Chris head for the Kazakh embassy for yet another round of intensive visa training

Visa Training is not peaceful → [ play in popup ]
Too many bureaucrats, too many forms and too little sleep

Leaving Moscow → [ play in popup ]
Despite the hassles, we have fond memories of Moscow

Uzbekistan

Uzbek money → [ play in popup ]
In which we are surprised by the exchange rate and the beauty of the local currency

Tashkent Visa Training → [ play in popup ]
Things take an unexpected turn at the Kyrgyz embassy

The road to Samarkhand → [ play in popup ]
In which we leave Tashkent and anticipate meeting Rich

Singing the Blues → [ play in popup ]
Phil sings and plays harmonica in The Blues Cafe in Samarkhand

Samarkhand → [ play in popup ]
We meet Rich, who wastes no time in organising a game in the historic Registan

The sustenance of life → [ play in popup ]
We make a roadside stopoff as we leave the city for traditional Samarkhand-style bread

The search for Bronislaw → [ play in popup ]
Chris sets out to find his grandfather's grave in Kanimech, a remote village between Samarkhand and Bukhara

Bukhara → [ play in popup ]
Rich, Chris and Phil reach Bukhara and play a game in the shadow of the minaret

Uzbek dancing → [ play in popup ]
Culture and vodka-based political lobbying at a traditional Uzbek celebration

Nurafshon Bukhara → [ play in popup ]
In colour, in motion, and as the dogs say in Moscow, "harasho"

Kyrgyzstan

Arrival in Krygyzstan → [ play in popup ]
We cross mountains to keep the show on the road, and find a game in Bishkek

The Likely Lads of Bishkek → [ play in popup ]
Everyone seems to take an interest in The Ball

But Ref... → [ play in popup ]
Soviet statues, eh?

Phil scores in Issykul → [ play in popup ]
With a backheel

Leaving Kyrgyzstan → [ play in popup ]
Phil reflects on the trouble-free time we spent on the shores of Issy-kul lake

Kazakhstan

Cathedral Chess Confusion → [ play in popup ]
The thinking part of the beautiful game, something we both seem to find difficult

Almaty Stadium → [ play in popup ]
A quick look at the biggest stadium in Almaty

A trainspotter's wet dream? → [ play in popup ]
Changing the undercarriage of the train as we go from Kazakh to Chinese gauge

Half way hassles in Kazakhstan → [ play in popup ]
We cross the halfway line despite an attempted professional foul

China

Getting our bearings → [ play in popup ]
Directions, directions, directions... now that we've made it to China, we have only one direction in mind

Finding Tim → [ play in popup ]
The sights and sounds of Urumqi as we look for The Boy Noble, who is worthy of his name

Train to Kashgar → [ play in popup ]
We leave Urumqi and Phil finds out for the second time that he seems to be edible

The FA Cup defeats and unites → [ play in popup ]
As soon as we arrive in Kashgar, Chelsea fan Phil does his best to find a place to watch the final and we meet Gersh for the first time

Karakoram Highway → [ play in popup ]
While Rich organises the Afghans in Badakshan, we're doing the same with Kyrgyz folk, just the other side of those same mountains

The Pied Piper → [ play in popup ]
In which we get lost, and Phil finds a chance to practice his keeping

Kashgar Sunday bazaar → [ play in popup ]
Chris and Phil put on a show at the legendary Sunday market

The build-up and the game → [ play in popup ]
We drum up support for a game at the livestock market and then play in a former lake

Kashgar to Niye → [ play in popup ]
The team sets off along the southern silk route

An Oasis → [ play in popup ]
We stop off en route to Niye for some refreshment and a kickabout

Drinks and Cards → [ play in popup ]
Spending so many hours in a van requires team-building exercises

Desert Keepup → [ play in popup ]
Abdulwali captures the team's silky keep up skills. Dune on!

The Niye Game → [ play in popup ]
The Taklamakan Allstars appear as "The Rest of the World" to take on a team of local Uyghurs

Post-match dinner → [ play in popup ]
We celebrate Tim's birthday in the best restaurant in town

Blogging the Desert → [ play in popup ]
8000 miles across "the desert of no return"? Easy!

Chinese Traffic Lights → [ play in popup ]
We became fascinated by the logic of Chinese crossroads

A game in Turpan → [ play in popup ]
A hastily organised game at a school in the heat of Turpan

Reading the future → [ play in popup ]
Phil starts to make plans for what we could do if we ever actually reach World Cup

Train to Lanzhou → [ play in popup ]
We move on from the heat of the desert and look forward to meeting Rob

Arrival in Lanzhou → [ play in popup ]
Confusion seems to rule the day as we look for the bus to Xiahe

The Journey to Xiahe → [ play in popup ]
Phil and I hope we're on the right bus as we hurtle through the Chinese countryside

Our Xiahe Internet Cafe → [ play in popup ]
A little background on how we maintained the blog in Xiahe

Arrival in Xiahe → [ play in popup ]
Our first impressions as we arrive at the famous Tibetan monastery

Monk on! → [ play in popup ]
Our second day at the monastery produces our first game

Advertising for a game in Xiahe → [ play in popup ]
Chris goes to see our Tibetan manager Gonpo, who is trying to organise a game for us

Rob introduces the game at the school → [ play in popup ]
We had no idea what to expect from Gonpo's advert

A game at the Tibetan middle school → [ play in popup ]
At the Tibetan middle school, where we hope to play with some monks, but find that there are problems with that

A game at a secret location → [ play in popup ]
After many attempts to play a game of football with the monks, we arrange to play at a secret location in the grasslands

Terracotta Warrior On! → [ play in popup ]
As we move onwards into China proper, we wonder what kind of defensive tactics the terracotta warriors will use to try and stop us getting through

The Ball Stolen! → [ play in popup ]
Yes, we very nearly lost The Ball in Xian. Nightmare

Xian Station → [ play in popup ]
One of us stays with The Ball at all times as we prepare to leave for Beijing

Xian, Beijing, Weihai, Korea → [ play in popup ]
The Ball bounces from Xian through Tiananmen Square to the Chinese coast and onwards to Korea

Korea

The Official FIFA Shop → [ play in popup ]
Our first stop in Seoul as we step off the bus

World Cup Balls → [ play in popup ]
The Ball's predecessors since 1974

The Ambassador's Ball → [ play in popup ]
We just have time to stop off at the British Embassy for a cup of tea and a kickabout

The Opening Ceremony → [ play in popup ]
The Ball makes its final journey - to the Opening Ceremony, the place it has travelled 8000 miles to reach

Radio 5 Live → [ play in popup ]
Some outtakes from our encounter with Nicky Campbell and Pat Nevin, who interviewed us just before the Opening Ceremony.

FLH on CNN → [ play in popup ]
Watch the full interview with Phil, Chris and The Ball outside Seoul stadium

Korea v Poland → [ play in popup ]
Korea play Poland, and find out that their team is better than they perhaps thought. Certainly, the Red Devils seem to be happy with the situation...

Preparations on the ferry → [ play in popup ]
We look forward to watching Argentina v England on a boat headed for Jeju

Brazilian fans in Suwon → [ play in popup ]
The Brazilian contingent make some noise

Korean Trumpeters → [ play in popup ]
A group of musicians sound off after a Korean victory

Korean Fans → [ play in popup ]
The Korean Red Devils celebrate after a famous victory

Japan

England v Brazil, Shizuoka → [ play in popup ]
The Horror

Japan in Blue → [ play in popup ]
After England's defeat at the hands (or feet) of Brazil, Phil plays the blues back in Tokyo

Five-a-side in Tokyo → [ play in popup ]
Our last game of the trip, organised by Taku. Chris scores a couple of cracking goals

Brazil v Turkey Semi Final → [ play in popup ]
The atmosphere and the anticipation as we arrive the semi final

The bottle of wine → [ play in popup ]
The Pink Cow hosts a toast to the end of our trip and remember France 1998 with a bottle of wine

Taku muses on the mascot's future → [ play in popup ]
What does happen to World Cup mascots when the comeptition finishes?

Our Trip Equipment → [ play in popup ]
Stuff. More stuff. Even more stuff. Phil tells it like it is as we prepare to leave Japan

Packing up → [ play in popup ]
Our stuff packs itself... more keen than we are to leave for England

France

Back in Europe → [ play in popup ]
In 12 hours, Chris and Phil fly back over what took them 12 weeks to traverse on the way out

England

Back in London → [ play in popup ]
Chris reflects on the end of the trip