While on my rounds as a part time delivery driver, I found myself in the middle of an estate in Leigh, faced by a rather large field littered, not with rubbish, but with “no ball games” signs. Approximately, 5/6 on a bit of land probably about 80 yards square.
And it made me think. Is it any wonder that kids these days are more obsessed with computer games than playing football or going out?
If they do go out, their subject to whinging from residents, or accused of causing trouble. But where can kids play football when ball games are banned on any reasonably sized bit of grass? It wasn’t as if it was backed on to any housing, it was a square patch in the middle of an estate, with paths/roads around it.
For some reason, I found it irritating. When I was younger, I was out playing football and cricket every night until it was too dark to do otherwise. In the winter, we played with an illuminous ball so we could be out longer.
Sure, there was the odd time we’d fly the ball over someone’s garden, or someone would accidentally hammer a volley over the hedge and on to the top of someone’s car, but we were apologetic, and people didn’t mind so much, as long as we didn’t cause any damage, which we didn’t.
Indeed, there’s a “no ball games” side on the road where I live, fortunately not where we used to play. But it seems that the older generations like to moan when kids are hanging around street corners or being stuck in watching TV and on video games, but any opportunities for them to get out and play a bit of sport is denied by goodbodies applying for “no ball games” signs.
