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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Footballs over our fence

116 replies

thekingfisher · 29/03/2015 12:31

This may very well out me - but well I'm feeling so irritated I don't really care!

Our house sides onto a village football pitch. When we bought the house circa 5 yrs ago the vendors told us there was a match maybe once per month. The reality was that at least one football match is held most sundays for the entire football season. This was fine until 18 months ago we bought a further piece of land at the back of our house which we incorporated into our garden. This means our garden and house plot now runs the entire length of the pitch.

There is a gate right at the very end of the piece of land which we bought which historically was used by the football team and unlocked by the farmer each sunday morning for them to retrieve their balls. The land was unused agricultural land (i.e. old orchard and asparagus field not farmed anymore and mostly weeds) so this didn't really have a bearing on us - plus we had a large boundary hedge which separated us from this piece of land.

Since we bought it we have spent considerable sums of money( i.e. many thousands) opening it into our garden, taking down and replanting hedging, cultivating the lawn, revitalising the orchard etc etc. so it is now very clearly part of our plot.

However we now have footballs coming over into this field often 5 or 6 times every sunday morning. As our entire ground floor is most glass and open plan this means anyone coming into the garden or the land at the back has an open view into our house.

I asked the football manager to knock before coming over - this morning he knocked and asked me to get the balls ( 3 had been kicked over) I said i can but not yet as I was still in my PJ's and it was peeing down. He asked if he could and I said yes. 20 monists later a spectator ( young lad who I know) came round and asked to get a ball - again I said yes. However it then transpired he let himself out of the top gate ( which should have been locked) and then let himself back in two more times to fetch other balls - meantime I'm pottering around in my kitchen when I just see someone wandering around the garden.

Would IBU to basically say that they can only come and get balls at end of the match ( or half time if they're a bit crap and kick too many over)? The Manager said they only had 3 balls - so would I be additionally unreasonable to tell him to buy more so they don't need to come around every 2 mins or just let themselves in ( or worse still climb over the wire fence which incenses me as it bends and its about 6 ft tall. ).

It feels like every sunday morning we are invaded and I have been caught wandering around in my underwear which again I don't think is fair.

OP posts:

Izzy24 · 29/03/2015 12:33

Can't they just come in through the gate as before? You could leave it unlocked on Sundays?

26Point2Miles · 29/03/2015 12:35

You need to nip it in the bud or it will just get worse

No balls should be coming over at all. They need to change the pitch markings and move them further away

26Point2Miles · 29/03/2015 12:36

Also, who will pay for any damage caused?

Original poster

thekingfisher · 29/03/2015 12:36

The problem is now that we have opened the garden up if thy come through the back gate they now have full view into our house ( and me) whereas before our boundary hedge blocked the view and if the balls came into our actual garden they had to come to the front door.

So the issue is if i left the gate open every sunday morning from basically late august to May i would not be able to do what i like in my own home without the risk of someone being able to see in. ( its a rural village btw)

OP posts:

UnderEstherMate · 29/03/2015 12:37

It must be irritating, but you were aware that the pitch was there before you bought the property and aware of the ball situation when you before you extended your garden.

I don't know much about football, but I'm guessing half time wouldn't be unreasonable though. That still could mean you answering your door every half an hour or so.

Original poster

thekingfisher · 29/03/2015 12:40

if they bought another 3 balls and i agreed at half time and end would that be OK?

Its the fact that I have no privacy like wandering around naked

OP posts:

TheGirlFromIpanema · 29/03/2015 12:45

Bit odd to open yourselves up to being fully on view if you have a liking for wandering around nekkid

Surely in the £1000's spent on garden re-design someone could have come up with a solution to a problem which already existed....

UnderEstherMate · 29/03/2015 12:46

I think that's fair. I wouldn't have made the whole garden open plan knowing the situation with the pitch. I know absolutely nothing about gardening, but perhaps a tall hedge to separate the end of your garden? You could make it into a "secret garden" type of thing.

Maryz · 29/03/2015 12:48

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

NotPennysBoat · 29/03/2015 12:50

YANBU, as PP said, they need to rearrange the pitch so that balls are not coming over so often! If it was a river/trainline/cliff they wouldn't expect to be retrieving their balls every 5 minutes would they?!? It's your private garden, I think they are being very cheeky regardless of whether you knew about the situation before extending your garden.

MyCarHasBrokenDownAgain · 29/03/2015 12:51

What happens if you want to go out on Sunday mornings, or are on holiday?!

usualsuspect333 · 29/03/2015 12:51

What Maryz said.

textfan · 29/03/2015 12:52

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

HarrietSchulenberg · 29/03/2015 12:52

Have an agreed time for retrieval of balls, eg half time and end of match, as you already said.
Or ask them to install high netting to prevent the balls reaching your garden in the first place. Although that would look hideous.
But if you choose to live next to a football pitch you really can't expect not to have stray balls in your garden. And for one day per week, is it really that problematic?

HarrietSchulenberg · 29/03/2015 12:55

Alternatively you could borrow a large, barky dog that loves popping footballs and give him free range of the garden on Sundays .

Original poster

thekingfisher · 29/03/2015 12:56

We didn't know when we opened up the downstairs with glass etc that there were football matches every single week as it was done the summer we bought the house.

There is the irritation of individuals coming round every 15 mins or so.

There is the irritation of them not knocking and just walking in either from climbing over the fence or from coming through the gate.

We have a dog the garden is secured - there is a risk that the dog gets out if they don't close the gate properly (which has also happened).

If they bought a few more balls they wouldn't need to come around every 15 mins but could wait until the end - i don't think this is unreasonable - footballs are not ££ even ones for league matches.

Don't get me onto the swearing which is screamed out for the 90 mins ( but thats a separate issue we just suck up)

I think my main issue is on a one off it doesn't seem a big deal but i have had a whole catalogue of stuff:

a guy coming over the fence and helping himself to my son's balls and toys( game hadn't even started
coming through our back gate by house and i had come down stairs to grab jeans from dryer - someone just standing there looking at me through our window perhaps 10 ft away.
creating hole in fence from climbing over allowing dog to get out

so a whole series of relatively minor things and this week I have just felt as if I need to do something to try to minimise the effect of it by trying to come to a happy medium..

appreciate views keep them coming

OP posts:

PeachyPants · 29/03/2015 12:59

YANBU, they need more balls they can't expect to have free access to your garden. I'd say I'll throw the balls back over at the end of the game. Yes they may have got use top being able to go on that land and get them back but that was purely goodwill it wasn't land they owned.

Binkybix · 29/03/2015 13:05

I don't think you're being unreasonable. They should just buy more balls.

LowryFan · 29/03/2015 13:05

I think they need to buy enough balls to last a match & at the end of the match ONE person from the club is allowed in to collect any that have gone over.

CwtchCorner · 29/03/2015 13:06

*The problem is now that we have opened the garden up if thy come through the back gate they now have full view into our house ( and me) whereas before our boundary hedge blocked the view and if the balls came into our actual garden they had to come to the front door.

If you knew they would be able to see in then when did you open up the garden without ensuring you had privacy still? You knew the football pitch was there before you did the work after all

Binkybix · 29/03/2015 13:10

OP would have privacy if people stopped trespassing! They used to be able to pop in whenever they wanted to get their balls, now they can't. I don't see the big deal for them - just get more balls.

wfrances · 29/03/2015 13:11

the pitch was there before you bought the extra land,
you knew the farmer left a gate open for them to retrieve the balls .
you should have expected this.
ds football team moved their pitch away further away from the houses.if theres room it can be done.
they do need more ball, ds team has approx 10.
i would tell the coach , make sure you have ample balls, dont know my door ,dont come into my garden and agree to throw the balls over every 30 minutes.
doesnt a match only last 90 minutes ?so it cant be all day.

PeachyPants · 29/03/2015 13:12

Well said Binkybix they are coming into her garden uninvited, she has ensured her privacy by having a fence up around her garden it just that people are choosing to climb over it.

AuntJaneMarple · 29/03/2015 13:12

They are making their problems your problems.

They buy more balls and only bother you at the end of the match one person retrieve the balls then and be grateful for you giving them acess to your land.

MythicalKings · 29/03/2015 13:14

I would tell them that they collect them at the end of the match or not at all. You aren't obliged to let them collect them.

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