Footballs over the fence

My boys used to love football, and occasionally the balls would end up next door, and the neighbour used to confiscate them. However when her son was older and played football himself, his ball would often end up in our garden. We told him it was fine to just pop in and pick it up, but she made him ring at our doorbell each time which was so annoying!

I would have thought the 15 year old should be kicking a ball around in the local rec with his mates, not playing in the back garden.

Modompodom

I would have thought the 15 year old should be kicking a ball around in the local rec with his mates, not playing in the back garden.

... then, like me, you're in the minority!

"Shinamae" get yourself a super soaker it works better than anything else I even use mine from my bedroom window.

Obviously some of you are not gardeners. When I lived in my previous property a number of children used to play in the back lane. Most of them lived elsewhere, but came to play football with friends and inevitably the ball would come over the back which was an 8ft fence.
Some of my plants were expensive to buy, but what I hated most was the damage done in Springtime to my perennial plants which meant that that particular plant would not flower that year.
In the end I decided not to give any balls back unless an adult came to pick them up. One did come and was quite understanding, and asked his son to play in his own back lane in future.
Thankfully after a few years, they all grew up and the problem ceased.

MaggsMcG

"Shinamae" get yourself a super soaker it works better than anything else I even use mine from my bedroom window.

Great idea, can’t think why I didn’t think of it myself, thank you..?

Pattieb, I would hate it. It's warning to me to try to live in street of small bungalows where old people are more likely to be found.

I am in a semi and I did have a problem with a full grown man and his friends playing with tennis balls. Thank goodness they moved away!

One idea, if you can afford it, may be to get very high garden screening made of fine plastic netting. It is cheap but the high posts would be expensive.

We used to have kids playing in a field over our fence. Balls kicked over the fence were damaging our veg plants and it didn't help being jumped on when the boys climbed over the fence to retrieve their ball. I told them not to climb over our fence , due to the damage and the possibility they would eventually make the fence fall over. I said they could claim their balls back from the local police station. The boys used to start playing about 6am at weekends so I took their back back to their home and very noisily knocked up their parents who didn't appreciate being woken up at 6am.

The kids next door to us will knock 3 or 4 times a day to get their ball back. It's really annoying as the ball damages my plants, lands in my pond and scared my fish. I also have 2 baby tortoises in the garden that I have ti bring inside if the kids are playing as it would kill them if a ball hit them. I can't sit in my garden if they are playing as you are likely to be hit.
I would never have let my son disturb otherwise that but they " love football "!!

I can't understand why this is annoying you ! They are only playing with the football, it wouldn't bother me in the slightest.

I sympathise. My neighbours razed their garden to turn it into a football pitch. We could no longer use our garden to relax in. Always waiting for footballs to rocket over the fence. The noise of it hitting the fence was awful, too. It was very stressful. We lost our Guinea pig and in searching for him, found about thirty balls in the wasteland next to our house. I asked them not to kick it into our fence, which caused real damage. My plants were damaged. The dog was traumatised. It was nerve wracking. I could never understand why they didn’t put up nets. We have boys on the other side who do play football too, but not with the determination that those on the other side do. It was like living next to a mini training ground where the footballs were like missiles. I don’t know what the answer is. But I sympathise.

As this thread is a year old, it would be interesting to know if the OP has found a solution to the problem of errant footballs. I might add that she and any others with this issue should be very thankful that it's only footballs. My kids played hockey and cricket...

Oh blimey! Done up like a kipper..
I never noticed it was an old thread

I had the neighbours kids playing football in their gardens all summer holiday last year.
The balls coming over was the least of the problem, it was more the football being smashed against the fence ajoinimg our small gardens. All I could hear was crash ! Crash crash! Sitting out in the garden was not very relaxing at all. Added to thst there was the yelling and the when the ball did come over then it kept landing in my fish pond nearly knocking my stone fountain over or landing on my plant pots.
Can’t wait for the kids to break up lol

We have this issue at the moment, I wait for them to ask, and return them...if it was 1-2 a day fine...but from experience he has 12 footballs! Several have disappeared as his Dad put up a second boundary fence and they've landed in the middle.

I used to throw them back until overhearing an argument between the lad 12, and his Mum where he said 'I don't need to go ask the 'stupid b***h always throws them back'. Now I push them to the side, he asks and has to make 3-4 trips to collect them all...

These post are relatively old but give me some respite. I have always been good at returning the balls over fence but dared to complain about it nearly hitting a window. My house backs unto a youth home. Which is now active since covid. I felt very threatened and have had two balls over since which I return to the high street. At costs I am paying for a ball net because I don't want any trouble. I wish I had shut up! It's made me realise how vulnerable I am. I am.being unreasonable but balls never came over so much before!. So much so I am looking to sell up and move, putting up the highest net I can find without planning permission. Really worked myself up here, but I don't know what to do

On one side I have the occasional ball comes over and I just throw it back. No problem. On the other side I have a dog that barks all the time and is really disruptive. I'd be grateful if I only had the balls situation!