There are few things more poignant than a lost soccer ball, as illustrated by both a charitable Lost Footballs calendar and these 12 emotion-laden examples.

“Ever lost a ball down the park, into a river or onto a busy road? It’s upsetting,” states the Brit-typically understated copy at the Stadiumhoppers site. Since losing the ball pretty much means Game Over, “upsetting” would be putting it mildly to say the least.

While the evocative 2019 Lost Footballs calendar (in aid of the Sporting Memories Foundation) features a dozen photographic depictions of misplace-kicked soccer balls, we thought there must at least a dozen more examples of aching athletic angst out there… and we were right!

Our lead images of an unaccountably (“High Visibility” Orange much?) unaccounted-for soccer ball plus the bonus brightly-colored Brazil-emblazoned ball just above both hail from Cardiff Woods Park in Upper Arlington, Ohio. Flickr member Dan Keck captured the oddly optically-elusive orbs in April of 2018 and February of 2017, respectively. By the way, if you’ve lost a soccer ball in the Upper Arlington area, contact Dan Keck – he’s got a knack for finding ’em.

Booger Kickin’

If a booted ball ends up in, say, Clearwater Creek you’d leap in to retrieve it without a care in the world. Then there’s this free-floating futbal, benignly bobbing away in… Booger Creek. Oh yeah, that ball is gone like the ex-girlfriend who is never coming back, or as Yankees YES Network broadcaster Michael Kay might put it, “SEE YA!” Flickr member Rona Proudfoot (ronnie44052) snapped the now-untouchable sphere near Harmon’s Beach in Lorain, Ohio, in April of 2008.

Rue Britannia

Back we go to merry olde England where things are looking decidedly LESS merry. Flickr member Des Morris (Mr Mo-Fo) was seemingly struck by the enduring pathos of an English National Football Team “Three Lions” ball abandoned in a deep muddy puddle near Eastney, Portsmouth. Looks like Beckham bent it a bit too far.

Bahston Bahl-Yahd

Off to Boston, the “City of Champions” where the Patriots, Red Sox, Bruins and… the New England Revolution (had to look that one up) go for the glory, cheered on by huge crowds of fanatical fans. OK, three out of four ain’t bad and surely someday the Revs will hoist the coveted MLS Cup. In the meantime, practice makes perfect – just don’t do it in the downtown Boston park above… DOH! Flickr member Paul L Dineen snapped this sign-trolling soccer scofflaw in August of 2006.

Swedish Meet Ball

“Found this abandoned football on a walk. Yeah.” So stated Flickr member Denis Dervisevic in a rather laconic tone back in March of 2012. The photographer encountered the still-serviceable sphere in Skovde, a town of about 35,000 in south-central Sweden’s province of Vastra Gotaland. One might say, it was forgotten in Gotland.

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Kick Stopper 12 Sadly Lost Forgotten Soccer Balls

In countries where walking barefoot is the norm, these durable shoes that grow with a child’s feet can improve health, confidence, even school attendance, according to The Shoe That Grows project from Because International.

Fast-growing feet have always been a problem for children, and is even more challenging in places where families can’t afford frequently purchasing pairs. A combination of velcro and fasteners helps allow these shoes to expand on demand — each pair can shift between five sizes (with three different starter sizes).

The group works with non-profits, schools, churches and individuals to bring this adaptable footwear to kids in need around the world. So far the organization has distributed 120,000 pairs in 91 countries.

“Without shoes, children are especially vulnerable to soil-transmitted diseases and parasites that can cause illness and even death. Children who get sick miss school, can’t help their families, and suffer needlessly.

“And since children’s feet grow so quickly, they often outgrow donated shoes within a year, leaving them once again exposed to illness and disease.”

These kinds of clothing innovations are also not limited to shoes. Ryan Yasin, at the time a master’s student in London’s Royal College of Art’s Innovation Design Engineering program, was likewise inspired to create outfits that would grow with a child. He started experimenting and realized that by pleating synthetic fabric in a particular pattern, it was possible for a piece of clothing to stretch in both directions. One of his early prototypes was able to be used from the age of 6 months up to 36 months, saving parents the cost and hassle of forever buying new jackets.

Giant balls of twine, complex tunnel systems and integrated scratching posts are some of the features on offer in this series of deluxe architect-designed cat houses created by Los Angeles architects for a charitable auction.

Architects for Animals, a local charity, uses the Giving Shelter fundraiser to collect donations and support services for help feral, stray and abandoned cats in a city with an estimated 3,000,000 such animals.

This is the tenth annual such competition, and each year draws in some of the world’s largest and most famous local and global architects and firms, including Perkins + Will, HOK, HKS, D3 and more.

Some of the dwellings are experiential, featuring shiny toys, ramps, tubes, beds and slots fit for feline friends, while others explore architectural trends, like living moss walls and flat-pack and modular design strategies.

Previous years of the program have featured Brutalist, Modern, Postmodern, Deconstructivist (and more difficult to classify) habitats crafted with metal, concrete, wood and other architectural materials.

Raising funds for an feline-focused area non-profit group, these architect-designed cat dwellings span the spectrum from adventure spaces to cozy nooks for your furry friends to explore or sleep within. If you also enjoy supporting canines, it is well worth checking out these 14 architect-designed doghouses likewise built to support a charitable purpose.

With proceeds going to FixNation, the Giving Shelter fundraiser (with photographer Grey Crawford) drew an impressive array for architects, firms and designers, including RNL, NAC, DSH, HOK, Wolcott, Lehrer, Space Int’l, Formation Association, Perkins + Wil, and Standard Architecture and Design.

With tunnels, tubes, ramps and platforms from wood, metal, fake grass and the materials used to make scratching posts, participating designers showed off the huge range of possibilities for catering to domestic cats, in some cases integrating elements of human functionality (with pieces doubling as furniture) as well.

Their robust materiality and construction is intended to make the shelters able to be placed outdoors. More photos from the live benefit can be found via Fixnation and Flickr.

Architects for Animals “Giving Shelter” is an awareness raising initiative. “The one-night event in Los Angeles benefitted FixNation, a 501c3 organization dedicated to helping community cats in need. Participating architectural design firms designed, built, and donated creative outdoor shelters.”

“These shelters were on display to the public at a one night event at the Herman Miller Showroom in Culver City. FixNation and Architects for Animals offered this unique exhibit and cocktail reception that combines the love of architecture with the love of animals. Attendees enjoyed hors d’oeuvres and wine from the open bar while viewing the original shelter designs.”

More on the non-profit benefiting from the series: “FixNation is a non-profit organization committed to cats, and to supporting Trap-Neuter-Return. We provide a free, full-time spay/neuter clinic for cats with two full-time veterinarians capable of sterilizing as many as 100 cats per day. We also provide low-cost, affordable spay/neuter services for tame pet cats. We loan out humane traps and equipment to the public free of charge, provide training on how to humanely trap feral cats and kittens, and offer guidance and information on long-term care and management for feral colonies. We are located in the heart of the San Fernando Valley and have been operational as a non-profit since 2007.”

You may have seen some strange and unique accommodations on AirBNB, but few hosts can boast something as unusual as Faktum Hotels, an unreal room-free resort in Sweden.

Their offerings are entirely out in the open air, doubling as an awareness-raising campaign for the city’s homeless and and actual alternative sleeping space for those same citizens.

So if not rooms, then what are you actually booking? A sleeping bag, or simply a secluded space … everywhere an actual vagabond or vagrant might occupy, including park benches, public restrooms, abandoned buildings, bridge underpasses and below bleachers.

And how much to reserve one of these temporary hobo hostels? The rate for each of these 10 surreal pseudo-spaces is just 10 Euros per night … proceeds of which go to charity work supported by Faktum Magazine.