We started following Noah Lennon and his project, A Ball A Day, back in 2024. We loved his playful and unique take on the "humble football" and wanted to learn more about his quest to complete 365 days of doodling, practicing, and challenging himself for 15 minutes (often much longer) a day.
We caught up with Noah to hear more about what inspires him, how the heck he came up with A Ball A Day, and what excites him about GIVE&GO.
When did you first fall in love with footy?
Football or soccer, is an interesting one for me, because as is the case with most american kids, I started playing really early. My first team I played on was a U5 team and I was four years old. But when most kids get bored of the orange slices and the early weekend mornings, I was aboslutely obsessed with having a ball at my feet. I took it everywhere with me and only years later did I find out that my Greek-Australian grandfather and a few of my uncles played. I guess it was meant to be. From there, it was the Barcelona teams of the late 90s and early 2000s that made me fall head over heels.
How the heck did A Ball A Day come about?
I have always doodled and had artistic tendencies. Coming up with fake sports team identities in my sketchbooks, making really bad grafiti on my makeshift half-pipe that I built with my dad. I stared really giving myself space and time to explore that with an iPad and Procreate around 2018. Then, during COVID, I founded an artist collective with some friends in Sacramento, and when we finally came into the world hosted some events, art shows, and watch parties in NorCal. When we had my son last summer, I decided to dedicate 10-15 minutes a day creating. What started as simple drawings of iconic footballs has become an exercise and exploration in technique, consistency, and pushing creative boundaries.
What inspires you to keep creating?
I really want to make it to a year of balls. 365 defined artworks that can live as a testament to the commitment of practicing. I hope to publish a photobook and have a show with all the pieces if I make it. It's not about the result (some of them I don't really even like very much once I'm done). It's about the practice. It's for my mental health as much as anything.
What does this collaboration mean to you?
It's been incredible. Such a fun project. To help educate and spread nostalgia about some of the most iconic footballs in history - and get to share some of the weird conceptual balls my brain makes at weird times of the day and night with a new audience. Most importantly, I love what Give & Go is building. Bringing the joy of post-kickabout hangs with your buddies to the card game space. Up the G&G!
Learn more about the GIVE&GO x A Ball A Day collab and our limited edition release.
