Kids playing football on the road!

[offmybush]

There seems to be one family that really are so entitled.

And whenever the weather is not raining, their kids, 7&13 are playing out on the front. Today for 8 hours has been consistent banging their football against the side of my house. (My side wall faces opposite their homes and pavement)

I said nicely once "please stop" but they didn't, their mother didn't seem too bothered.

They've even hit the top of my back garden wall so much the top brick came off.
Their neighbours brand new car has been hit on the bonnet about 40 times (they've been out all day so are completely unaware)

There are cars parked up and they are just kicking the ball on the road and against my home.

They only just stopped one hour ago.

There are no signs to say "no balls" so I probably don't have a leg to stand on but I can't cope with this now until winter arrives again.

Anyone with any advice? Am I being a moany neighbour!

Rush out with a big knife and puncture the ball each time they kick it at your house. They should get the message after two or three balls have been trashed

Get a Mosquito Anti-Loitering Device.

I had this. Drove me insane
I used to tell them to go away sometimes nicely and sometimes now. Blare my music out the kitchen window to encourage them to go elsewhere. I contacted the housing association to put a no ball games sign up. When the man came to do it the mother tried to persuade him not to but he said he was just following orders.
My house is by the road that goes behind all the houses for parking so it's also a safety issue as cars can't see around corners.
We also have a green in the middle.of all the houses for playing on!!
If you own the house there's nothing stopping you putting a sign up.
I've also taken a kids ball away before when they kicked it and it came right in my house, could have hit my baby or broken something.
Most kids are just selfish and entitled, someone needs to tell them and if its not their parents then it has to be us!

Hello I massively empathise with you as I have this issue where I am now. It stopped over winter but now as the lighter nights and sun has started coming out they are back kicking a ball round the cul de sac. Three neighbours including asked the kids nicely to not play near the cars, then I spoke to the dad as they were continuing to do it and it hit my car. He said he would speak to them again but would not stop them playing out on the front. It’s a tiny cul de sac where I live and they have a perfectly good back garden plus there is loads of green space on the estate and in a Safe park about 4 min walk away.

recently the dad has asked them to just play on his driveway but inevitably the kids get bored and after a while bounce it round the cul de sac. It’s really put me on edge and I am now looking at getting a camera doorbell as i realised I can’t stop them however I can put myself in a good position to claim for any damage that occurs by having video evidence.

I realise not everyone cares about this kind of thing but I’m planning to move longer term and try and get something not on a new build estate as it just seems to attract this kind of behaviour

I hope you find a resolution YANBU and if I were you I would try and get some video doorbell as it might be a deterrent if the parents know and also at least you have evidence in the event of damage x

You're not being unreasonable to object to them hitting your wall.

But they're as "entitled" to play football on the road as your are to leave your car on it.

Really weird they don't go to the park to play if it's only 4 mins walk away.

Ahh I grew up in the 70s when there was not so many cars . It was great , we could play where ever we liked . The quarry was much more fun though we had a rope swing , good times .. Cars are taking over everywhere ..

They can be kids elsewhere not kicking a ball against the OP's house all bloody day!!

@offmybush you don't need signs! Just tell them to stop. If they don't stop, knock on their door & tell the parents to make them stop.

While they should be behaving responsibly, I don't see what's wrong with kids playing in the street. I think that play streets should become more common: https://mobycon.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Amsterdam-street-playground-2.jpg

Oh get a grip op. It’s kids playing with a ball. I live on a council estate next to a green. Over the years the kids have stuck goalposts on it and even tied a basketball net to a telegraph pole. They’re outside mine all day playing Kirby. And all they damage is hypothetical. No one’s actually done anything op

It’s not on for them to hit your wall or car. I would go out and go bolo . You’ve asked their parents and asked them nicely to stop.

Next time be the scary angry lady

Are you serious? That kids shouldn’t play out on the street??

It’s kids playing with a ball but when it’s annoying, damaging OP’s wall and there’s a perfectly good park with football pitch nearby they could go there. This would get on my last nerve too.

I agree kids shouldnt play on streets. They are for cars and people to use for driving. No way on earth was i ever allowed to play on the street and i wouldnt let my kids do it either - for their safety and for the wider public.

Kids are more than entitled to play on a street if they’re respectful and don’t damage property. What’s next? Broken windscreen due to this and OP has to try and fail to get the parents to pay for it?

Play streets are great and we had one on our street, as long as they’re run properly. Kids messing around and not caring if they damage someone’s property due to their games isn’t on.

Wasn’t the quarry dangerous? I’m also a 70s kid grew up in an area with less cars. We still got grief off random adults if we even thought about damaging their property!

Has it actually damaged the wall? The wall must be in a pretty poor state if a mere football is capable of causing damage

Are you being serious ? Please tell me you are joking !? You can never tell on MN anymore 😏.

So if a car hits them by accident if they’re on the road playing who’s at fault then eh?

Streets are not for cars, streets are for people. They always have been.

OP has already said a brick had been knocked or knocked off. Regardless it’s her wall. She can do what she likes to maintain or not. Kids kicking a ball hard enough to damage anything is not on.

Far less cars about then but more horses and carts which would equally be annoyed at kids messing around near them.

The car driver. It's not a road, it's a street, and car drivers need to be careful of vulnerable road users.