# Kids playing football on the road until 11pm



## musicfan (5 May 2008)

Just following on from another recent thread, I live in an estate where kids play football on the road just outside my house (they have a large green area on front of their house but don't play there for some reason!). 

Most nights they play football until 11pm - the constant kicking, thumping, banging of a football is enought to drive you mad.  The kids are playing on a public road so aren't on my property but what do other posters think - is 11pm too late to let your kids play outside on the road in the dark????  

Cars can come around the corner - not at speed as such - but surely motorists aren't expecting kids to be playing football on the road this late in the dark?

Besides, lots of residents (myself included) have to be up very early in the morning for work - its not easy to go to sleep with the constant noise - it is unreasonable to expect kids to stop playing football at a certain time???


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## niceoneted (5 May 2008)

It is actually illegal for them to play football on a public road way. You should contact your local garda station or local community police officer and make a complaint. Have you a resident's association perhaps bring it up at one of their meetings.


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## steph1 (5 May 2008)

It is a bit late in fairness to be out playing football on the road at that hour of the night.  Have you a resident's association where you live?  Perhaps you might get in touch with them and they might send a note around to all the houses in the estate to ask parents not to have their kids out till that hour playing football.

I'm amazed at the fact that with a green area that they still play on the road.  It is dangerous and especially at night.


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## sparkeee (6 May 2008)

when i was young the green areas had no ball signs on em,we were bold kids and used em as posts.


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## Bronte (6 May 2008)

Could you use a radio/music to drown out the noise of the ball and lull you to sleep?


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## MrMan (6 May 2008)

> You should contact your local garda station or local community police officer and make a complaint



Ya because the blight of kids using their energy on constructive activity is the ruination of this country. Leave them alone.


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## Purple (6 May 2008)

In my last house kids used to congregate on a low wall opposite and chat ‘till 10.30-11.00 in the evening during the summer. They made a surprising amount of noise. As we had a young baby at the time this caused a problem so one evening I went outside and explained that we had a young baby and their chatter was keeping him awake and asked them if they would mind moving up or down the road a bit or using the nearby green. Since most teenaged kids are reasonable and nice people they apologised and the problem did not recur. 
So, OP, have you tried explaining the problem to them and asking them (nicely) to move onto the green?


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## The_Banker (6 May 2008)

From my own memory of playing ball as a kid we always played on the streets as opposed to the green areas for a number of reasons..
(i)Better street lighting on the streets rather than the green.
(ii)Grass in green areas is not cut often enough to allow free flowing football.
(iii)Green areas in estates (rather than pitches) tend to have hidden booby traps like pot holes and dog poo.

But I would agree with Purple in his point above. Try talking with the lads in questions. Most young people are pretty reasonable and will appreciate the fact that you spoke to them. Complaining to the Gardai without first talking to them is a little OTT.


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## John Rambo (6 May 2008)

I must admit I don't consider 11pm late at all. And let's face it, kids playing football or chatting until that hour isn't particularly sinister in this day and age...it should be encouraged rather than discouraged. I'd echo what The Banker said because when we were kids we preferred to play smaller games on concrete or tarmac as it improved your close control and skill levels. We would have certainly played until 10 or 10.30 and never had any complaints (this would be 14 or 15 years ago) Ringing the Gardai about something like this would strike me as a bit extreme.


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## ubiquitous (6 May 2008)

Don't worry. In a year or two, they will be gone beyond the stage of playing football on the public road at 11pm and instead will be well out of sight, drinking alcohol and sniffing solvents in a nearby field or waste ground area. Your problems will be at an end then


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## Soldier (6 May 2008)

i honestly dont see this as being a huge problem but im not the one living with it but if all there doing is chatting and playing football there not really doing any harm. could be worse you could have them drinking outside your garden throwing the rubbish in to the garden after. maybe if you just have a conversation with them and ask them to be a little quieter if they can. some places dont have green's for kids so all they have to gardens as goals.


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## Welfarite (6 May 2008)

sparkeee said:


> when i was young the green areas had no ball signs on em,we were bold kids and used em as posts.


 

You had green areas.......!!!!


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## Jen Jen (6 May 2008)

I don't think any of ye really understand what the MusicFan is talking about! I moved into my new house 2 years ago.. my first house and was so excited! It was rented before as was the house next to me and the kids obviously used the front of these houses before as their football pitch! They started playing footballl at 6pm and were still there at 12pm every night kicking the football, shouting like "pass it here", screaming and shouting, sitting on the wall laughing.  I understand your comments that they are only kids but there is a huge green 2 minutes away and can't understand if this is provided, why they can't use it. I like to think I am a reasonable person and this was tolerable from about 6am to 10pm but when you are in bed trying to read a book, relax after a 12 hour day, it is terrible.  I couldn't sleep for weeks with the noice and the constant ball banging off either my front door, the house, the car etc.  I went out a few times and asked them nicely to move to the green and i basically was told there were in the estate before me and to go F*ck myself.  Charming eh! This is actually a really nice estate and I paid over €400,000 for my house! I perserved and everytime they started playing football after 10pm, i went and took the ball off them.  They then woudl come to me in the morning and ask for it back and i then would explain to them why i took it and it was much easier explaining it to on boy rather than 20 boys just laughing at you.  I was actually very intimidated as even though they are kids, there were up to 20 of them and some of them were taller than me! After about 2 weeks of this, they are now playing in the green and i have had no problems since!!!   You should try this approach!  Don't see why you shoudl pay so much for your house and not be able to sleep at night!


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## z103 (6 May 2008)

> Don't worry. In a year or two, they will be gone beyond the stage of playing football on the public road at 11pm and instead will be well out of sight, drinking alcohol and sniffing solvents in a nearby field or waste ground area. Your problems will be at an end then


Unfortunately, that often doesn't come soon enough, and there's always a new wave of (other people's) kids coming up behind. 
Why can't they play wiis instead?

This thread seems to come up every few months. The responses are generally either;
1. Leave them alone, they're only kids, weren't you young once etc (from people who've never experienced the problem)
2. People expressing shear frustration at not being able to do anything about the situation.


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## DavyJones (6 May 2008)

I agree with you leghorn, I live in a small private estate and could see how this could be a problem, however the kids around here are all under 12-ish and are the nicest bunch you'll ever meet. friendly with very good manners. long may it last.


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## theoneill (6 May 2008)

How much are those mosquito devises? 

You could always hide one near where they gather and set some remote control on it.

Or you could just ask them; unless they’re skangers they will probably move.


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## musicfan (6 May 2008)

Thanks for all your comments.

I do appreciate they are only kids and yes they are playing football - they could be doing worse but at the same time......

I've no problem with them playing on the road during the day - as I say they are not on my property but on the road a few yards from my window!  But I just think its a bit much until 11pm on a school night to be out playing football - the 'thud' thud' of the ball for 5 hours every night is enough to send you insane!

I end up praying for rain every evening so it might deter them - unfortunately sometimes rain isn't even enough to stop it. I do have the tv or radio on - but it needs to be pretty loud to stop the noise!  Not fair on my other neigbours! 

I have asked them to move and to play on the green area in front of THEIR houses but they say they can't as there are holes in the ground - not that I'm a suspicious person but these were probably dug by their parents so they couldn't kick football on front of THEIR own house and to protect the new 08 cars surrounding the green areas!!!

Maybe cos I'm not a parent - but I just think its madness that parents would allow their young kids to play football on the road in the dark (just up from a bend in the road) where cars could come around quite quickly at 11pm.......


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## ubiquitous (6 May 2008)

leghorn said:


> 1. Leave them alone, they're only kids, weren't you young once etc *(from people who've never experienced the problem)*
> .


How can you tell?


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## theoneill (6 May 2008)

Well I am a parent and other parents’ ignorance never ceases to baffle me.

For instance my partner, son and I were enjoying a nice stroll in the Phoenix Park last weekend only to have it ruined by a very young child tearing up the footpaths on his quad bike. His parents were looking on beaming with pride. We ended up having to move to a different area.

If the kids are ignorant it’s a fair bet that the parents are ignorant also and if that’s the case I’m afraid there’s not much you can do.


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## Tarquin (6 May 2008)

edited


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## Welfarite (6 May 2008)

Unfortunately, the problem (challenge?) outlined in this thread (and others) has been with us since Johnny Giles was a kid. It goes with the territroy, literally, in that you are living in an estate of houses. It never ceases to amaze me when people expect countryside peace and quiet in housing estate. Surely factors like this should be taken into account when purchasing? I know I did when I was buying, I was aware of potential footballers, graffiti artists, wall-sitters, fireworks, door-knockers, etc., etc.. 

Kids need somewhere to play and properly maintained green areas do not seem to be a priority for builders of these estates (hence the kids' comments about "holes" in the green area).  In my day, we did not have green areas so we played on the street, next to the "best" goalposts (a gate and a lamppost conveniently placed). 

Nothing to do but live with it ...or move to the country.


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## puffin (6 May 2008)

Would it not be possible of the parents of the kids who wish to play ball on the green to fill the holes with topsoil and re-seed....instead of just sitting on their hands!!All solved, kids have space to play without risk of breaking a leg and no anguish to home-owners who have to put up with road football on their door-step?


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## liaconn (6 May 2008)

Welfarite, there's a lot of logic in what you say but the fact is, some of us have no option but to live in an estate. While that certainly means putting up with a certain amount of noise, parents of young kids need to show some consideration and exercise some control over their children. 

If the Op was complaining about kids making noise at 7 or 8 at night I'd agree with what you're saying but I don't think she's being unreasonable to object to it still going on, outside her gate, at 11pm.

I know we used to play around outside when we were kids but most of us were dragged into bed at a reasonable hour. There was no way I would have been still out playing on the road at 11 o clock at night.


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## Soldier (6 May 2008)

well said welfarite


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## musicfan (6 May 2008)

Welfarite, I agree that because I'm living in an estate there will be a certain amount of noise and I'm not that stupid that I expect countryside peace and quiet while I'm living in an estate!  However, I do object to the noise of kicking football outside my house at 11pm.  Most of us working adults are in bed or going to bed at this time (especially if you face a long commute the next day!), and I wouldn't think to expect a little bit of peace and quite at this time of the day is unreasonable. I know when I was a child, I would never have been allowed outside to play at this time of the night!!!  
Unfortunately, a move to the countryside is not possible for everyone - if only life was so simple!!!!


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## Purple (6 May 2008)

puffin said:


> Would it not be possible of the parents of the kids who wish to play ball on the green to fill the holes with topsoil and re-seed....instead of just sitting on their hands!!All solved, kids have space to play without risk of breaking a leg and no anguish to home-owners who have to put up with road football on their door-step?


Well said


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## musicfan (6 May 2008)

Purple / Puffin - thanks for the suggestion that the parents of the kids fill in the holes in the green areas so their kids can play safely - in an ideal world I suppose.........
However, judging by the amounts of large shiny 08 cars parked around the green area in their estate, I suppose one could think that the holes are there on purpose - so their own kids can't damage their parents cars and the parents dont have to listen to the annoying thud of the football for hours on end - call me a cynic!!!!  With the holes covering their green area, their darling little boys have to play on front of my house........


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## johnd (6 May 2008)

People like Welfarite don't know what like is like for people who have this problem. These kids seem to know which houses to stand outside. We had a similar problem for over 15 years with various kids down the years. Yet if they stood outside a particular house they wiould be roared and shouted  and so rarely went there. The irony was that one of the kids kicking outdide my house was the son of that particular house. 
I suspect Welfarite is the father of kids who annoy neighbours or else he has no kids at all. I have great sympathy for anyone who has to put up with this.


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## Brianne (7 May 2008)

I have great sympathy with you and think that anyone who allows their children to be out at that time of night is not a very good parent. Of course in estates one has the convenience and security of neighbours but its not unreasonable to expect a bit of common manners and you don't deserve that annoyance. These people don't care either about you or the safety of their children. Nobody will convince me that kids on the road at that hour are safe. If its annoying you , talk to the kids, talk to the parents, talk to the residents association. Make a nuisance of yourself,people who say that one has to put up with this crap are either the type who think  that the fruits of their loins should be suffered by the rest of us or else they themselves have never experienced lack of sleep due to poor bad manners by neighbours.


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## shesells (7 May 2008)

I was driving home from Carlow the other night and pulled on to the main road up to our apartment (D15) and saw 4 kids aged 10/11 (max!) walking along the road on their own. It was 12.15am! A garda car was coming along behind me so they stopped but it scared the life out of me to think some parents didn't know where their young kids were after midnight on a dark wet night!

Hence it didn't really surprise me to hear of musicfan's problem, some kids just seem to have no bedtime/curfew. 11pm on a school night is late, even on a weekend it's pushing late.

As for the football - do you have a resident's association you can act through? Or maybe a letter to a local newspaper (anonymously if needed), or maybe get on to local politicians about sorting the green out.


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## aircobra19 (7 May 2008)

Its about having respect for your neighbours. Either you do or you don't. Its definitely torture when it gets bad. When kids find a spot they like you'll find other generations will also tend to like the same spot. Until the estate matures then it dies out. It might take 2 or three batches of kids though.


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## efm (7 May 2008)

johnd said:


> I suspect Welfarite is the father of kids who annoy neighbours or else he has no kids at all. I have great sympathy for anyone who has to put up with this.


 
That is an unacceptable comment on this board in my opinion - Welfarite is more than capable of speaking up for himself but if you had said that about me I would demand an apology and if I didn't get one I would report your post.

Please respect the  - "Attack an opinion by all means, but please don't attack the person expressing the opinion."


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## Soldier (7 May 2008)

totally uncalled for.


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## Purple (7 May 2008)

efm said:


> That is an unacceptable comment on this board in my opinion - Welfarite is more than capable of speaking up for himself but if you had said that about me I would demand an apology and if I didn't get one I would report your post.
> 
> Please respect the  - "Attack an opinion by all means, but please don't attack the person expressing the opinion."



I agree. It was a childish and nasty comment.


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## Hans (7 May 2008)

I would talk to the guards as I know in my area if kids hang around an area they are asked to move on it.  My son came in one evening and said he was standing talking to some friends in an estate next to ours and a squad car pulled up and told them move on he was upset by this but when he told me the group was large and they were outside someones house I said I think they guards were right I dont want a gang outside my door.  My brother had a problem with a gang of youths outside his house a local TD called to him and he said it to him and the next evening he had the local Gardai call and asked him what was happening as they would parole an area and move on any gatherings so I would l go down every avenue as why should you not be able to relax in your own home - you probably paid enough for it.


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