Kiddies Playing Football On Estate

[Kgrayz]

Just wondering if anyone will know who I can contact regarding my son and his friends playing football outside our home.

My little boy is 9 and his friends are 10 and 6 we live in an enclosed estate and they like to take their football goals outside and play football ..

they are to small to play over the local field .

Yesterday the police were called by one of our neigbours who often complain that the ball has rolled on this drive.

[black_cat51]

if the neighbour has already spoken to the children 3 or 4 times, i'm not surprise dhe now went tot he police if nothing had changed

[mccfluff]

if you've not spoken to him, you don't know what his reasons - justified or not are

equally he should of come and had a word with you before it got to the police calling stage, there must be something upsetting him for it to go this far, try talking to him and finding out

[viv38]

This is the trouble with a lot of people with young kids, they don't seem to care that they inflict them on everybody else when out playing and screaming in the street (why do kids always scream???). Take them to the local park or green space, they're you kids after all! I speak from experience having had a window broken by a kicked football with very little help from the parents of the brat who did it! I have a son, but he's still a baby and I will NOT let him play in the street when he's older, I will be more responsible than that.

[B00]

I can see both sides here.

think the only way to possibly go forward with this is to have a chat with your neighbour and see if you can come to some sort of amicable compromise with him.

Perhaps if you approach him civilly, there'll be good news all round :-)

[sherrardk]

I think some of you are being quite harsh. I don't agree with playing football in the road as it's asking for trouble. Allowing your children to play outside should be encouraged, people are quick enough to moan about coach potato kids or kids playing on gizmos all the time. If you live on an estate there will be a mix of people - people with barking digs, kids, crying cavies, people who now their lawn at stupid o'clock, etc, etc. People should be a bit more tolerant & realistic.

[sherrardk]

Dogs & babies (not the rubbish up there ^)

[Daffy6543]

I never inflicted my children on my neighbours or the estate I lived on. Their outdoor play was supervised in a park or on the beach etc. When they played in the garden they were quietish and respectful of other people.

[viv38]

Maybe if you'd had your window broken and car hit several time by footballs, you might change your mind sherradk !!

[pmac]

I find some of the answers here bordering on pathetic. Nightmare neighbours? For letting children enjoy themselves? Having fun? Getting exercise? I being the father an often out playing with my children. Does that make me a bad parent? The kids in question do nothing other than play in the street. As my wife stated the ball ROLLS down, not kicked at or towards the car. Maybe the neighbour in question is the better parent after all? Sponging off the council and sitting on her backside all day with her head out the window

[ummmm]

I also find some of the comments extremely harsh.

If we don't let our kids play out then how will they learn to be a street smart? You see kids that are kept in not even knowing how to cross a road! Now that's sad...

[joko]

the problem of that law is 'annoyance' is a very subjective term ... when i was akid we were forever hassled with neighbours when we played - we are girls so were not generally playing proper football but they still moaned, some just for the sake of it. we used to always knock and ask if it was ok to come onto the garden to get our ball

when i got older and the new kids played and it used to drive me mad when they would knock on the door to ask! - we told them to just help themselves.

i would understand if they were kicking it at the house walls or doors etc

but when i got my own place i was also driven mad by a kid who woul dkick his ball at the side of my house and sometimes front door and occasionally the window - because its a corner house and one wall is on the pavement

i wouldnt mind if it wasnt for the constant thud thud thud ...

[sherrardk]

I don't allow mine to play football in the street and would have a friendly chat with any kids that were playing with a football by my house or car. I do not 'inflict' my children on others I let them be children. I would say that I am a mindful neighbour. My children don't go out before 11 and don't go back out after tea (which is at 5.15). If they are too noisy (in my opinion) they come in and calm down. My neighbours, however, think nothing of mowing their lawns before 8.30, hoovering out their cars, having building work done, etc without giving a hoot about anyone else. Also, it's not always practical to take the kids to the park or the beach.

[cazzz1975]

I have no problems with kids playing outside, I used to do it myself, I find though that nowadays there seems to be a lot more cars than there used to be and its virtually impossible to play football in a street without hitting something you shouldnt.

I agree with the others where you should talk to the neighbour and find out in particular what his issues are, you may come to a better solution that way instead of assuming.

[joko]

there is no legal right to not hear the noise of children playing

people need to learn to accept that if you want to live in a place where other people also live then you have to accept you are going to hear them going about their lives - and just because in this case they are children doe sno mean they have no rights to makes some noise

noise in itself is not illegal or wrong ... excessive noise maybe, but kids playing does not apply

[Prudie]

You are all correct about the benefits of children playing outside and children will make a noise but I do repeat my earlier comment which I find critical to this discussion - the police would not come out just because some man complained about a rolling ball.
Why don't you both approach the man and try get to a solution?

[Neveracrossword]

Kgrayz, did the police say or do anything when they came out?

[B00]

Put away the wooden spoon divebuddy, i'd be peed off and get all defensive if people on 'ere tried to claim I was an anti social neighbour too.

[Kgrayz]

thanks guys

Neveracrossword - The police man just told us to be weary?

TBH he looked a bit shocked when he pulled up and saw 3 little boys with footy kits and gloves on playing footy back and fo.so maybe the neighbour was exagarating. He even said that he likes to see the kiddies playing outside in the fresh air and wishes his kids would do the same rather than stuck on computer games all day.

Again what a waste of police time..

Honestly they are doing no harm and cannot believe the police turned up for this when there are so many other bad things going on.

[joko]

police man told you to be weary? what do you mean?