Anti social behavior or boys being boys

[ChocolateSqueezyyogurts]

I received a phone call from the police today but was in work so didnt answer. They left a VM saying they would call me later (obviously I was confused and concerned why) they rang back a couple of hours later to say my 16 year old DS and a group of his friends have been caught on CCTV playing football on a local astro turf pitch and the club has reported them for anti social behaviour.

The club think the boys have climbed over the fence but the boys are saying the gate was left open and they know they shouldn't have been on there but they didnt think anybody would know.

The police officer said they wanted to visit each of the boys at home to explain that they are being let off this time but to issue a warning.

Ive obviously told my son not to do this again but I think young lads this age are probably always pulling stunts like this and to class it as anti social behavior is a bit much.

It’s the natural order of things for children to do what they shouldn’t do and for adults to tell them off.

@JonesTown do you think it is wrong for the club to charge for use of their pitch?

I think they are entitled to charge, but they are out of order calling the police because a group of teens opened a gate they left open.

Playing football on a grass field when the ground is so wet would do far more harm than a sneaky kickabout on the local 3G pitch.

Unless there was some kind of actual criminal behaviour police involvement is totally ridiculous. This is pretty much the absolute lowest tier of mischief imaginable, way below stuff that used to go on in my naice middle class community 25 years ago involving kids who grew up to be very successful and responsible adults. When my daughter is a bit older I would much rather she was engaging in this sort of breaking & entering/theft of services/criminal damage (🤣🤣🤣) with her friends instead of spending her time on tiktok.

@Createausername12345 is there not a middle ground, doesn’t have to be glued to phone or causing mischief? These teens could join the club or similar, or go to the park etc

With that attitude as a parent, it is a good job the police are visiting I think.

Being a member of a football club and thinking 'well I have got training tomorrow anyway' is not going to stop a teenager from wanting to play with their friends when the feeling takes them!

I am not saying sports clubs can have a free for all with anyone using their facilities day and night (unless this is agreed and funded in the community as per a PP). But the level of harm done here is so small as to be practically non existent. They just need telling not to do it again, and a firm but polite explanation of why- perhaps by someone from the facility in question rather than the fecking police!

Kids should be expected to have a strong moral code, but consideration of the finer points of AstroTurf maintenance costs can develop as they grow up. Part of the joy of being a teenager is not thinking everything through fully, being able to have simple fun and break a few rules along the way.

Focussing on my daughter here because of the whole boys will be boys thing, I would much prefer her to be the one saying "Hey this gate is open and the field is muddy, let's play in here!" as opposed to the one saying "No, stop guys!! AstroTurf is very expensive to maintain and we might get in trouble with the police!!". The instinct to open that gate and bend the rules will help her open other doors later in life.

So currently locally we have an issue with youths playing on local school playground outside school hours. Quite often on a Monday morning the headteacher will be met with rubbish left over from these youth including beer cans or worse smashed beer bottles. Sometimes equipment, fencing etc can be damaged.

So maybe I am seeing it more from the club’s point of view. Not saying these teens are doing that but maybe the club is fed up of youth damaging their property and just want a blanket ban

This

I sympathise and think behaviour like that would absolutely warrant police involvement. If any child of mine was causing criminal damage or leaving litter/ broken glass I would come down on that very hard indeed.

@ChocolateSqueezyyogurts did the police visit or was your update via the club?

Playing a game of football where they shouldn't..telling off, kids being kids..not BWBB..
Vandalising the fencing, ripping surface, noise, smashing glass on the surface..antisocial ( and criminal behaviour)
I know which would result in an absolute heap of shit for teenager .