BALL boys and ball girls at Wimbledon play an important part in making sure games run smoothly.
Read on to find out more about the role at the world famous tournament, how well paid it is, and what the perks of the job are.
Ball boys and girls at Wimbledon generally get paid around £200 for the fortnight of the tennis tournament.
It’s not much for what can be quite a gruelling and difficult job.
There’s a lot of responsibility to make sure balls are retrieved and new ones are given quickly to players so play isn’t disrupted.
Ball boys and girls have been known to collapse due to the heat, with the tournament often taking place in blazing July sunshine.
There are a lot of ball boys and girls needed at Wimbledon each year, with play taking place on multiple courts at the same time.
In total around 250 are chosen each year.
There are six teams of six selected who’ll just look after Centre Court and No.1 Court, which are the two main ones used for the biggest games.
A further six teams of six rotate around the rest of the main show courts, whilst the rest will rotate around the other courts in use.
They tend to work to a routine of one hour on, one hour off, due to how demanding the work can be – especially in the often hot July weather.
A huge number apply to be a ball boy or ball girl at Wimbledon each year.
Most years there are around a thousand applicants, however only pupils from around thirty London schools are able to put themselves forward.
These tend to be a mix of teens wanting to take part for a first time, and ones from previous years who loved it so much, they want to do it all over again.
Just under half of all ball boys and girls have taken part before, with the rest being brand new to it.
The average age of a ball boy or girl at Wimbledon is fifteen.
Those applying for the first time are in either year nine or year ten at school.
Most ball boys and girls take part for two years.
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The training for ball boys and ball girls at Wimbledon is very intense, as it’s a physically demanding role.
It’s also a role that’s really important for the smooth running of matches.
Training starts as early as February, when each ball boy and girl will take part in sessions once a fortnight at the Raynes Park Community Sport Ground.
It then moves over to Wimbledon after Easter, with weekly two-hour sessions.
These go on until mid June, right up to just before the tournament begins.
One of the biggest perks of working as a ball boy or ball girl at Wimbledon is being allowed to keep the Ralph Lauren uniform afterwards.
The navy, green and purple outfits are as iconic at Wimbledon as strawberries and cream or an ice-cold Pimms.
They’re made in a stretch jersey fabric, meaning they should keep the ball boys and girls cool and comfortable in the summer sun.
