Service to Celebrate Life of England Footballing Hero

Football legends will attend a service at Bolton Parish Church next Saturday to celebrate the life of Farnworth-born footballing hero Alan Ball.

Ball was the youngest member of the England side that won the World Cup in 1966. He went on to win 72 caps.

Former England stars Francis Lee and Mike Summerbee are among those who have confirmed they will join the service, which is also open to members of the public.

Ball died last month aged 61, after he suffered a heart attack while trying to put out a bonfire in the garden of his Hampshire home.

Lee and Summerbee, who both played for Manchester City, will attend alongside a number of fellow former City stars including Fred Eyre, Roy Cheetham and John Riley. The chairman of Bolton Wanderers Football Club, Phil Gartside, and owner Eddie Davies will also pay their respects to Ball.

They will join Ball's children, Keely, Mandy and Jimmy, and other relatives who will fly from their homes in the south of England for the service.

Westhoughton-born Lee, who also played for Wanderers, said: "Alan was one of the town's most famous sons. He may be the only World Cup winner to come out of Bolton and that is worth celebrating.

"He was not just a fierce competitor on the field but a great guy off the field too."

Around 2,000 mourners attended Ball's funeral service at Winchester Cathedral on 3 May.