To be pissed off at neighbour coming into garden to retrieve footballs

[Confuseddotcom88]

Our neighbour has recently moved their football goal so it's now right next to our shared fence (only a short fence) this has meant they are constantly kicking their footballs over into our garden. This is a mild annoyance especially as I'm a little weary about it happening when DD (2yo) is it playing in case it were to hit her but whatever kids are gonna be kids and I can't tell them where to put their goal. Obviously whenever we notice a ball in our garden we toss it back over however yesterday I noticed a ball up at the top of the garden which I didn't go and throw back over as it was pissing it down and quite late on, this morning I noticed the same ball was now in a completely different place... Now I gave them the benefit of the doubt that perhaps it had been blown by the wind or something but had my suspicions so left the ball (again it was pissing it down all day and the kids would've been in school at this point anyway) and forgot about it, this evening I looked out and noticed not only had their ball gone but so has my toddlers. It's now very clear they have entered our garden to retrieve the ball multiple times and I'm pretty upset about it especially since they've never come and just asked for the ball back (I'm on mat leave and have been in the house the whole time) and they've now also taken our ball too.
This neighbour has recently moved in his girlfriend and her two kids (teen boys probably around 13 and 16ish) and has one child of his own who's not there full time (primary school aged) the younger boy has been round and asked us to throw ball back previously and I don't believe he is there currently so believe it to be one of the oldest boys who should definitely know better.
I'm I being unreasonable to be annoyed about this, it's not like we had had the ball hostage for days or anything like that! Planning to have DP go round to have a word after work tomorrow evening (as I'm heavily pregnant and would probably end up crying or something lol thanks hormones!) but wondering if I am being unreasonable to make a big deal of them coming into our garden or if we should just ask for our ball back and keep the peace (we don't really speak with this neighbour usually)?

I wonder if they've moved their goals because they've had complaints from other neighbours? It doesn't sound like these folk are going to be amenable to moving it back, I'm afraid.

Put up a taller fence, even if just chicken wire? Plant bamboo? Try not to argue with neighbours.

Remember the days when neighbours popped footballs that repeatedly came into their garden?

Id opt for a higher inner fence or trellis.

Who does the fence belong to? Could you add some trellis to the top to make it higher so that the ball doesn't come over & also so they can't climb over it.

Is it that big of a deal if they hop over the low fence to retrieve their ball? When my boys were small, we had two elderly ladies next door and they just told our boys to hop over the wall and get the ball if it went over!

I have this issue. Balls get kicked over literally several times in 10 minutes. To the point my garden doesn't feel like my own, as the kids think nothing of just wandering in and out of it - and treat it like an extension of their own garden.

have had words. Will see if it stops

Put up razor wire!

Kids have always jumped fences to grab balls if they think they can get away with it. I know my friends did - I was always far too well behaved, nervous and completely useless at climbing fences to try! That doesn’t mean they should though.

You need to talk to their parents, nicely, about it. But I also think that if it’s happening very regularly that their ball comes into your garden, you may need a bigger fence.

teen boys probably around 13 and 16ish

Boys that age are too big to be playing football in a smallish back garden - of course the ball will go over any time they hoof it - and old enough to take themselves off to the park or playing field.

Someone down thread comment 'Aren't you lovely?' to this post.
Obviously never been driven mad with footballs over a fence upto a dozen times a day by 2 teens and a twatish neighbour whining 'Well they've got to play somewhere'
As I told her they could fuck off to the park two minutes away then.
The council finally stepped in as she was renting [no problem with that] and I had told them I was taking legal against them if they didn't sort it out. Had been going on since they moved in 2 years previous, inspite of repeated requests by me to keep the ball down, it got worse instead.
After kicking the council up the arse, it suddenly eased down and gradually stopped.

I'd rather the children just came and quietly got their ball, as long as they latched the gate on the way out. I wouldn't have to keep answering the door when I'm in the middle of doing other things.

A} tell them to stop coming into your property
B) suggest they move the goal net away from other people's boundaries
C) explain all future ball finds will be donated to a local football team
D) give her the details of open spaces if you CBA

I must be getting old. I love kids. Sometimes it's the parents though.

Who would actually do this?