Around 280 youngsters are selected each year to serve as ball boys and ball girls at Wimbledon, known as BBGs, ensuring matches run smoothly by feeding and retrieving balls. The selection process is demanding, involving participation from about 30 schools in the Wimbledon area.
Selection and training
Pupils from these schools train and are selected to progress to try-outs at Wimbledon. Successful candidates, mostly aged 15, train once a week from February to June, learning how to feed the ball to players and roll it across the court.
First-time ball boy Affan Naseer, 15, told the Press Association that while the process was mostly fun, the warm-up was particularly intense. “At the end, they make you sprint on the spot for 10 seconds, and they expect you to stand as still as you can for a bit. The warm-up is very intense,” he said.
Privilege and legacy
Despite the hard work, Affan said he felt privileged to be a ball boy at Wimbledon, following in his uncle's footsteps. “My uncle did it when he was younger… I was like, ‘I’ll do it, and then I’ll carry on your legacy’,” he said. His uncle felt “really proud” and had spotted him on the big screens during a match on Tuesday.
Affan found it exciting when matches became heated, reflecting the intensity of the championships. “It’s not a good thing that it’s heated, but like it just feels nice that it’s a very intense match. People are crowding around, and I’m in my own comfortable spot, looking at the whole match, so that’s a very nice thing,” he said.
“Personally, I feel very privileged to be here,” Affan added. “Mainly because it’s an international event, where you can see people from around the world, players from around the world. I wasn’t born in this country, I was born in rural Pakistan, and then I came to this country. Now that I look back to it, I could never imagine being in a position where you have a lot of responsibility, and that responsibility pays off, and then you get to see a lot of great people, great sportsmanship, and also the kit – it’s very nice.”
Captain's role
Ball girl Summer Reid, 15, serves as a captain, overseeing a team of BBGs. She told PA: “I’m in charge of doing changes, and at the end of matches I have to switch over to the new balls at the ball distribution store and check what court my team is going to be on.”
Summer said the discipline required for the role is something she would like to carry beyond the tournament. “I think having the ability to say that I was a Wimbledon ball girl on a CV or something is quite impressive, because they know the standards that it’s taken to get here,” she said.
