Andrew Aris

Appearances

2002 World Cup (based in Korea), 2006 (living in Germany), 2010, 2014, 2018 on The Ball with The Ball. I’m already in training for my first Women’s World Cup in Australasia in 2023.

Goals

Jacinda Ardern dribbles The Ball into the Opening Ceremony at Eden Park, Auckland in July 2023, and the World Cup can begin!

On The Pitch

Having begun as a goalscoring centre forward with more nous than skill I’ve become a midfielder on and off the pitch: where I like to connect people. I enjoy developing education methods for SoF and am particularly fond of coaching roles, where I can train up other trainers.

Teams

New Zealand U-20 (1997), University of Notre Dame, USA (1996 – 2000), Rot Weiß Erfurt, Germany – expert Bench-Warmer (2006), Pakuranga Town, North Shore United, Fencibles (New Zealand), FC Borntal, Spirit and Friends (Germany), Team Dads (Captain) in Dads versus Sons.

Achievements

Founding and setting up SoF Germany in 2005. Making myself President of SoF (I always wanted to be President of something). Taking The Ball all the way from London to Johannesburg (through 32 countries in 2010) and London to Sao Paolo (through 25 countries in 2014). Being responsible for developing and then taking SoF’s humanitarian programme into refugee camps and urban areas in the Middle East, Turkey and soon to be Greece. Being a Dad to Paul.