Are these football kids U or not?

[singthing]

There is a small green space near me, with some lovely big old trees and nice benches to sit on - i.e. it was designed to be used by the public like a park.

In the past year, almost all the open space has been used as a football pitch seemingly every non-raining daylight moment. A couple of goals (domestic ones, not FA standard!) have been left there full time, and the grass has been completely churned up into a mudbath/dustbowl, depending on the weather. Other people can't sit on the benches because they are liable to get a ball to the head at any minute, and the issue with the grass too. Plus the games can get quite raucous, without anywhere to move away from the noise.

BUT it means that 4-6 kids (estimate ages around 8-10) are active and playing outside, not sat indoors on phones or watching tv or whatever. All the houses directly nearby, where the boys likely live, do have private gardens, albeit smaller than this "park". For completeness, there are bigger parks within walking distance (but out of sight from the houses), plus a forest and massive park a short drive away

WIBU? For the purposes of the poll:
YABU: The kids should be encouraged to play out, let them carry on.
YANBU: The kids should not have taken over the park, it is for everyone

You’re bang on in the second part of your post OP. We should never discourage kids playing outside, getting exercise and fresh air. So refreshing from the exodus of iPad zombies. I’m sure there are other benches to sit on!

You sound like one of the moaners who moan at my DC and neighbours DC playing football on the green. They even put a sign up themselves (which I took down) saying no ball games.

I bought them goals. Which they take out with them to play with now.

The only thing wrong is the goals being kept there.

I hate No Ball Games signs. Probably because the patch if grass we all played on as kids suddenly got them as people wanted to park cars there instead.

Girls play football too

I bet the park would hardly be used at all if the kids weren’t there.

it’s excellent they have a safe local place to play.

however their parents should be encouraging them to be considerate of other users.

Great to hear about kids out playing and getting some fresh air and exercise, I’m always in favour of that. Don’t knock it!

Sorry that's a pointless devil's advocate because you would expect children to play with a ball on a grassed area.

While there not a lot you can probably do its something that would irritate me. It's also something I would definitely consider when buying a house

Just go and do whatever you want to do on the area.

My son and his friends used to play football every weekend on the field outside our house. One person from the 14 houses surrounded that area used to constantly complain to me, the other kids parents and to the police. The police did nothing and I feel she complained to the council too as they put a couple of trees up on her side. This went on from about the ages of 7-11 then they had lots of other sports at school to occupy them. Once they were around 11 she sold up and left. The people who bought the house had 3 boys, they were the next group to play football every weekend. I love to hear them playing, brings back memories of my now 21 yr old!

I can't see many people wanting to see on a bench in cold rainy weather next to a swamp of a football pitch. Sounds like a complete non-issue, particularly when there are other green spaces within walking distance. And even so, the kids will be at school five days a week. Plenty of time for those at home in the day time to go there.

It's churned up and 'ruined' because we've had one of the wettest winters in recent memory. Even walking on the grass would churn it up horribly at this point. I walk across my lawn twice a day to feed the birds and it looks like the Somme!

Assuming a normal spring, it will be fine again by May. I'm sure other residents will be happy to use it again then.

It's great that there's a local space for children to play outside.