Talk:On the Ball, City

Copy to Wikisource
All that's here is lyrics, so I'm thinking move them to Wikisource and redirect this to Norwich City F.C. —C.Fred (talk) 23:51, 29 May 2007 (UTC)
 * Thanks. I've started working this into an article, so there's no need now. --Dweller 16:01, 30 May 2007 (UTC)
 * Well, the lyrics still need to go to Wikisource, though there will probably be enough left over for an article. —C.Fred (talk) 16:03, 30 May 2007 (UTC)

Source
"Eastwood. Canary Citizens, p24." seems like not enough information for the first footnote. Which Eastwood? What year? Is that a book or another type of source? -Phoenixrod 02:35, 17 June 2007 (UTC)
 * Gosh, finally, finally, fixed! --Dweller (talk) 14:51, 25 January 2011 (UTC)

Lyrics Sung Today
I've been following Norwich for almost 30 years now and the lyrics I've always heard were:

Kick it off

Throw it in

Although the song from the early 1900s may well not have included the "it".

The website On The Ball City is a fans forum for norwich city fans. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 94.2.6.117 (talk) 12:52, 29 March 2011 (UTC)

LewisR (talk) 22:26, 24 January 2011 (UTC)
 * The reliably-sourced lyrics do omit the "it"s, so I've inserted some copy to that effect. --Dweller (talk) 14:51, 25 January 2011 (UTC)

Insipiration
I included the following text, but it has been edited out by someone calling themselves Blue Square Thing (Ipswich Town supporter?). I have supported Norwich City since the early 1950s and was at Highbury in 1954 when they knocked Arsenal out of the cup. So I do know what I am talking about!Strangerbird (talk) 07:11, 23 February 2012 (UTC)

'Traditionally On the Ball City was sung as an anthem, and many a Norwich player has testified to its inspirational effect. In that form it reached its greatest use during Norwich's famous 1959 cup-run, when as a third-division side they reached the semi-finals of the FA Cup. The song was easily as important, and as great an inspiration to players and fans as 'You'll Never Walk Alone' has become to Liverpool. However sometime in the 1980s a younger generation of Norwich fans started to chant the words of On the Ball City, and to anyone familiar with the orginal, the present rather awkward and unmetred effort is greatly lacking in fervour and emotion compared to its predecessor.'


 * Well, I edited it out because it's unsourced opinion in my view. If you can provide a source to support what you're suggesting then I think it becomes potentially useful to include, but otherwise it sounds awfully like your own opinion - it certainly needs editing to get rid of some obvious WP:POV issues, particularly in the last sentence. I'll let you have a think about how to do that before I edit it myself, perhaps over the weekend. Incidentally, I imagine where I watch football isn't all that important. As it happens I have a Barclay End season ticket and have done since we moved to the area in the 90s, but that's actually not relevant - what is is the obvious opinion in your edit there. Blue Square Thing (talk) 08:17, 23 February 2012 (UTC)

I'm a confirmed City fan (just take a look at my track record here). I agree wholeheartedly with Blue Square Thing. If you have any sources about the inspirational effect of the song, we'd be delighted to include something. Otherwise, it's just one person's opinion. Another of us might think that it's far more inspirational when we sing something else. NB I happen to be 148 years old and I think the younger generation sing it just beautifully. --Dweller (talk) 20:24, 23 February 2012 (UTC)

I don't have the time to give you chapter and verse, but if you read some of the press reports of e.g in the Times, of City's 1959 cup run you will understand something of the fervour that gripped Norwich, which was the centrepiece of a film called 'Small Town Holiday'. After the victory over Spurs in a replay one crisp February night the Times reporter suggestd that 'every little boat on the Norfolk Broads had rocked'at the vibrations from Carrow Road. Ron Ashman the City captain of the period used to say that Carrow Road in song made his spine tingle and the crowd was worth at least a goal to the Canaries. Nothing, even during the Mike Walker years, has since replicated those feelings. On the Ball City was to Norwich what the 'Bladon Races' is to Newcastle, 'On Ilkley Moor' to Sheffield Wednesday, and 'You'll Never Walk Alone' to Liverpool. When City played a cup-tie at Bramall Lane in 1962 I was in a crowd of several thousand Norwich fans, one of whom had smuggled a brass instrument into the ground. The fans were thus orchestrated and the effect of several thousand voices willing their team on was electric (though sadly Norwich did lose on that occasion). Norwich fans were the envy of many clubs. 'If only Town could sing like them', a Luton football paper once ran as its headline after Norwich had beaten them 2-0 at Kenilworth Road. The present management of the club would do well to introduce some community singing practice before the kick off. I am surprised that more clubs do not do this. Singing adds hugely to the atmosphere at a match. The present chanting of 'On the Ball City' is a very poor relation of the real thing. Besides, if we are Canaries singing should be part of our nature, shouldn't it? Strangerbird (talk) 21:39, 23 February 2012 (UTC)
 * Sadly, without the reliable sources, we can't include your memories. They're very enjoyable, you should write a book, but we can't include them here. (Until you get your book published). --Dweller (talk) 22:07, 23 February 2012 (UTC)


 * There's the potential to add a quote or two from some articles which might discuss the inspirational impact of the song - the Times article you point towards or perhaps Ashman's quote. But I do think they'll need to be sourced really well for that (not web sources btw). I believe you probably have access to those sorts of sources? If you do then, when you have the opportunity, it'd be helpful perhaps to add a short paragraph about that sort of thing. Where I think you're on tremendously sticky ground is if you go down the route of "it was better back in the day" - certainly without something very reliable to back it up. Blue Square Thing (talk) 08:23, 24 February 2012 (UTC)

No reference to any 'authority' whatever, however acclaimed the scholarship, will prove my point. The only way to test it would be for the City management to try out some organised singing and encourage the use of the old anthem occasionally. Several years ago when I went to the Millennium stadium to see Norwich play Birmingham in the play-off final there was an example of two epochs of Norwich support in conflict. When they went ahead in extra time (sadly later to be defeated on penalties) the old spirit was momentarily there and a chorus of On the Ball City began. Inside the closed roof of the Millennium the effect was stunning. But the singing was then deliberately drowned out by the miserable chanting of the words. (Something about the conditioning and prejudices of a younger generation) If you could get a critical mass of people singing everyone would join in and the effect would be stupendous. Imagine over 20,000 voices singing! Perhaps I should write to Delia. Strangerbird (talk) 09:47, 24 February 2012 (UTC)


 * Maybe she could come on the pitch at half time to encourage everyone? ;-)


 * If you can find some quotes to support things regarding the inspirational impact in the past that would be grand. It's an article that could use a wee bit more depth. Blue Square Thing (talk) 11:25, 24 February 2012 (UTC)

Albert T Smith
Please note that a few sources stated that Albert T Smith was a director of Norwich City from 1905 -1907 -, so he was not director when Norwich was founded in 1902. Hzh (talk) 13:23, 27 May 2022 (UTC)