The club is to install tracking devices similar to those you put on your keys inside all the footballs at Nethermoor so they can be located more quickly when they’ve been kicked out of the ground.

Using state of the art GPS technology the ‘iBalls’ will be able to tell if they’ve landed in a tree or on the cricket pitch.

The iBall will also emit a high pitched tone to stop them being stolen by dogs and to warn trains when they land on the railings.

Club staff will have an app on their phones showing the exact position of the ball, allowing them to proceed directly to its location, instead of scrabbling about on the bushes.

It’s estimated that the new devices will save the club money in buying new footballs.