Club's 'can we have ball back?' plea goes viral

Barrow AFC has claimed this ball is theirs

A football club's appeal to get its ball back after a rival side appeared to use it in a kit launch has gone viral.

League Two team Fleetwood Town shared a picture on social media of midfielder Mark Helm posing in the club's new strip with his foot resting on a ball, on which had been handwritten "BAFC".

Barrow AFC's post in response asking "can we have our ball back please?" attracted more than 56,000 likes and hundreds of comments.

A Fleetwood Town spokesman said the club would not comment on the post, but "maybe one day the ball will return".

Fleetwood Town used the ball in a promotion shot for their new kit

Fleetwood initially responded to Barrow saying: "That could be anyone's ball."

Others have suggested the ball belonged to League One side Burton Albion, which 22-year-old Helm joined Fleetwood from in July 2024.

Fleetwood shared the kit launch photo with the caption "perfection".

Barrow finished 16th in the League Two table in the season that has just ended, one point and two places behind Fleetwood.

Ethan Thatcher, media manager at Barrow, said the post was "light-hearted content" for the fans.

"As football clubs on social media, we have a duty to entertain our supporters," he said.