Kids playing football on the road until 11pm

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.
 
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?
 
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.
 
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!!!!
 
Well said
 
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........
 
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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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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
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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.
 
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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