Football in garden

narrowboatnan, my friend lived next door to an elderly lady. If, occasionally, a football went over the fence, it was promptly stabbed with a sharp knife and binned!

I think it is dangerous to assume children are immune:

Apart from the extremely worrying emerging new coronavirus related illness, even those, either children or adults, who have shown no symptoms could still be carriers of Covid 19.

I think a similar link has already been posted, but just to back that up:

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/04/27/nhs-alert-new-coronavirus-related-syndrome-putting-children/

We’ve always just thrown balls back over the fence but did get into bother when one side claimed the ball belonging to the other. They had been at war with each other for years so all hell broke lose. We ended up buying a replacement ball just to keep the peace.

Children can get the virus:

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8260399/NHS-issues-doctors-urgent-alert-coronavirus-related-condition-children.html?

Craftycat not all children are immune. Our local tv news featured a 6 month old baby, born with heart problems, who contracted the disease. She was pictured being clapped by the nurses as she was wheeled out of the intensive care unit, having recovered.

Isn’t it amazing just how tough babies can be!

Only problem that I can see with letting them come in and retrieve their ball would be if OP was sitting out in her garden, making social distancing difficult. Probably best to don the marigolds and throw it back, you can wash the marigolds before removing them just as you would wash your hands. Good idea to have a little chat about the current situation making things a bit different to usual and suggesting alternative football exercises like keepy uppy or dribbling. All done with a smile and an assurance that all will go back to the usual arrangement eventually.

Just tell them they dont need to knock ut come in and get the ball. No touching necessary.

My DS and his mates used to like to kick a ball about in his back garden (he was 19 at the time). They often went over the fence to his next door neighbour. She refused to return them or allow them to be collected. DS simply bought another one. Five years later, she was selling her house to move nearer to her own DS. My DS bought her house and when he took possession of it he unlocked the garden shed and found a huge pile of footballs! She’d kept them all. He said he hadn’t realised how many had gone over the fence, it was quite a surprise and made us chuckle.

Where DH & I lived we had boys playing in the street (very quiet road), problem was the ball would hit the kerb & come over our 6'6" brick wall. Always sent the smallest boy to knock on the door.

Our rule was we will throw it back once, 2nd time you'll have to ask your Parent to come round. At one point we had 5 or 6 balls in our garage, DGS never needed a new football.

I would have a word with Parents & explain your worries. Hopefully if you say you will throw the ball back a your convenience that will help & yes Marigolds & wash your hands

Maybe best to let them know that you will not be answering your door to them because of this wretched quarantine etc etc but that you WILL be leaving your gate open so please come and pick up their ball any time they need to - just don't involve you ! Sounds reasonable and neighbourly. It's not easy for anyone to have kids to see amused and stimulated so do try to be helpful !

Meant "round and collect it". Typing too quickly!!

In your situation, I'd be inclined to throw it back over the fence for them and wash my hands immediately afterwards.

If they're nice children and you don't anticipate trouble in the future, why not say they can come round a collect it without asking your permission?

I have never had trouble with children collecting their balls. They've never damaged anything. I admit it depends on the sort of people you have as neighbours.

As a nana of two footy mad lads who spend most of the day in the garden kicking the ball into a goal with a net which almost fills their tiny garden (needs must I just want to praise you for being so lovely and tolerant. Regarding the ball over the fence, what I would do world be to get my marigolds on, and Chuck it back over the fence.

I would agree about telling them you will throw it back and washing your hands after you have done it. However I know from experience how annoying it can get. Ball was always comng over from next door at one point. I said I would throw it back 3 times in one day and then it would stay where it was until the next day. Strangely enough it stopped coming over so much! You might even set the limit to once a day while the virus is about.

I always throw them back.

I think you have to tell them that for the time being they must call over the fence and you will throw the ball back.

Children have an immunity to Covid apparently.
As a mum of 2 boys & GM to 4 I sympathise with football problems but at least they are getting out into the open air & using up their energy. Children are not doing so well out of all this. They cannot play in streets anymore ( except in our lovely cul de sac where we don't mind at all as it lovely to see them out of the windows when we cannot see our own DGC)
At least these lucky boys are getting some exercise. Throw the ball over if you see it- you're not going to 'catch' anything off it & you are being a lovely neighbour. I love the advert when the boys throw the chocolate bar to the nice man next door who is always returning their ball.
You never know your luck!!

I'd don my brightest shiniest Marigolds, pick it up and make sure they see you (better still the parents see you) when you throw it back, then ask them very politely (very very obviously politely) to try very very HARD not to kick the ball into your garden because that is how infection spreads infection spreads.
As a matter if interest - do the neighbours on their other side have the same problem?

I’d throw it back over the fence and then immediately wash your hands.

I think we might all have felt like doing that occasionally? My neighbour has two wood-burning stoves. He has a chain saw that sounds like a dentist's drill and uses it for three hours at a time sawing up wood. always on a warm day when others would like to use their gardens. He lights fires immediately behind the eight foot brick wall between his house and ours and if we have a window open the smoke comes straight in there, If I put washing out I am always concerned that he will light a fire before the washing has a chance to dry. I will admit to cracking one day and screaming at him to "put that bloody fire out". It is a good job that their is an eight foot brick wall between us because I had definitely 'lost it' that day. I cannot answer for what I might have done if I could have accessed him directly. The elderly lady who lived there before him never caused any problems and to have him buy the place when she died has become a nightmare. We have tried not to be difficult and we live in a village where people will quickly make their feelings known. He has stopped the chainsawing on Sunday afternoons now and does it mainly on Friday and Saturdays so I think someone has said something to him.

Throw it back in a plastic bag!

I had terrible problems with footballs coming over the fence at one time. Had a football belted so hard it landed in an upstairs bedroom window (I was sitting at desk in room). Another came flying in conservatory door knocking coffee out of my hand and then the final straw, ball came over and hit my 2 year old GC on head kicking her over. I went mad with next door, highlighted if I had wanted to I could have charged them for all the damage to planting, young trees, all still had price labels on them. Any other incidents would be reported as harassment. The inconsiderate football behaviour stopped. I pointed out too, one of my brothers was a professional footballer, played for country and he was never allowed to play with a football in the garden when he was young. Waste of time unless you gave one tgey size of a football pitch apparently. Stayed friends with neighbour once she realised the danger and nuisance her kids' behaviour was causing. I would tell the kids you will return the ball over the fence when it is convenient for you to do so and that you are not going to be sitting watching for when it comes over. Perhaps they will learn a bit more ball control if they have to wait.

But yes,id just tell your neighbours to let ONE of the boys,probably the oldest,or the parent to just pop round & get it but to make sure they shut gate after them properly.if they're straight in &out surely they aren't going to contaminate anything if you stay inside.

Theres a tennis ball appeared in my garden,its not ours,i dont think,and yet no ones come& asked for it either.(we havent been out yet to 'sit out' in garden as it badly needs attention & as im disabled cant crop it myself.) The newish neighbours have young kids so could be theirs,but if i throw it back& its not theirs then ill be horrified! They will think im the one throwing stuff in theirs!

I would ask the boys to come into the garden and collect the ball himself and you can stay well away from them.It sounds as though you have a lovely relationship with your neighbours which is so good.