A LUXURY apartment block has been named after one of Farnworth's most celebrated sons – a World Cup-winning soccer star.

Alan Ball House, a former baptist church on Bolton Road in Farnworth, has been has developed into homes as part of a £700,000 restoration by Farnworth businessman Paul Lister.

Mr Ball, a former Farnworth Grammar School pupil, managed Manchester City and won the World Cup for England against Germany in 1966.

Mr Lister, of PDL Restoration Ltd, said: "I contacted Alan's immediate family with the idea of the name of the building and was pleased to hear that they were overwhelmingly in favour of it being named after him.

"Alan was the youngest player in the 1966 World Cup final and according to the hat trick hero Geoff Hurst 'Bally played a blinder and was man of the match'. Alan became one of the handful of footballers who became a legend in our time.

"The building itself now stands proudly besides the refurbished library and town hall overlooking Farnworth Park after the £700,000 conservation which has been very well received by locals."

The building had fallen into a state of disrepair after being boarded up for a number of years and had been targeted by vandals, and while a certain amount of renovation work had already started internally by others it had ground to a halt.

Mr Lister, who was born in Farnworth and is a former St Gregory's school pupil, bought it the day it went on sale with the aim of converting it into 12 apartments.

Work started in April last year and the building – including a stained glass dome window – was beautifully restored.

A longstanding interest in football and links to Farnworth, gave Mr Lister had the idea of recognising 'one of Farnworth's many sporting legends'.

The 5ft 6in midfielder Mr Ball had trials with Bolton Wanderers as a teenager but was rejected when coaches told him he was 'too small'. But his career eventually began with Blackpool and he was transferred to Everton for a then British record fee of £110,000.

He won a league championship title with the Merseyside club in 1970 and collected 72 England caps during a 10-year international career, later managing clubs including Southampton and Manchester City.

He died aged 61 in April 2007 after suffering a heart attack as he tackled a fire in his garden at his home in Hampshire.

A blue plaque was erected the following year at his birthplace – a semi-detached house in Brookhouse Avenue, Farnworth.