James Alan Ball (26 September 1924 – 2 January 1982) was an English footballer and manager.Born in Farnworth, Lancashire, Ball played as an inside-forward for Bolton Boys Federation, Southport (in two spells), Birmingham City (although he did not play a Football League match for them), Oldham Athletic and Rochdale.He managed Halifax Town in two separate spells (1967–1970) and (1976–1977), and in-between these he managed Preston North End between 1970 and 1973 and Southport, IF Saab and IK Sirius.Ball managed Djurgårdens IF Fotboll in 1979.His son, Alan Jr., played in England's 1966 FIFA World Cup winning team and later followed his father into management.He was killed in a car crash in Nicosia, Cyprus at the start of 1982, aged 57.