https://sites.psu.edu/ballgamesoftheworld/ancient-ball-games/
...Ball Play in the Odyssey
The first written account of ball play in western literature is written by Homer in the Odyssey dating back between c. 725 BC. Homer’s epic story that depicted the trials of Odysseus was written 400 years after the Trojan Wars. There is little evidence to indicate balls and ball play took place during the time of the Trojan wars. However, in the Odyssey, after Odysseus sails from Ogygia, his raft is wrecked by a storm, and he is washed up on Scheria. Meanwhile, the goddess Athena, who sneaks into the palace, disguises herself as a sea captain’s daughter and instructs princess Nausicaa, the daughter of King Alkinoos in her sleep to go to seashore to wash cloths. The next morning, Nausicaa and her maids go to the seashore, and, after washing the cloths, they start to play a ball game on the beach with laughs, giggles, and shouts. Odysseus, who was exhausted from adventure and was sleeping nearby, is awakened by the shouts. He covers his nakedness with thick leaves and ask for help from the team. Upon seeing the unkept Odysseus in this state, the maids run away, but Nausicaa, encouraged by Athena, stands her ground and talks to him.