No garden at all?
Where to play instead, from the nearest park to an indoor rhythm.
See no garden football gamesFootball Near a Road or Street: Safety and the Law
Driveway & Hallway
A road is not a play space, and the safest answer is somewhere without traffic.
If you have no garden and the street is the nearest flat space, football safety near a road or street comes down to the safest answer first, then the legal position, then a plain way to decide.
The Highway Code says to keep between children and the traffic and hold their hand firmly, and RoSPA says never let a child go near a road alone. Football on a public road is an offence in England and Wales if it annoys road users, so the street is a last resort, with a short list of rules.
For a long time I thought a quiet street was the same thing as a safe one, until a ball rolled off the kerb between two parked cars and I found myself grabbing a handful of jacket rather than the ball.
The plain answer
Is a Street a Safe Place to Play Football?
Not really, and no set of rules turns a road into a pitch. Rule 4 of the Highway Code says "When taking children out, keep between them and the traffic and hold their hand firmly", and that young children "should not be out alone on the pavement or road." Read the Highway Code's rules for pedestrians.
RoSPA says "Never let your child go near a road alone, even with an older child." Read RoSPA's advice on children near roads.
The ball is the problem. A ball rolls, a child chases it without looking, and a driver may not see a small child, especially one coming out from between parked cars.
Both sources are about walking and crossing with young children, not ball games. They tell a parent how to supervise near traffic, rather than proving how risky one particular kickabout is.
The legal position, as far as the sources go
What the Law Says About Street Football in the UK
Section 161(3) of the Highways Act 1980 says that a person who plays football or any other game on a highway "to the annoyance of a user of the highway" is guilty of an offence, with a fine of up to level 1 on the standard scale. Read section 161 of the Highways Act 1980. It covers England and Wales only, and it bites only where there is annoyance.
The police's own answer says it is an offence to play ball games on a public road if it is to the annoyance of road users, and a breach of by-laws if it is to the annoyance of residents. Read the police's own answer on ball games on a public road. That answer is general, and by-laws differ by council.
One council, South Ribble, says it is "not illegal to play football on a grassed verge or open space" and that it is "a fair expectation that young children and youths can play near to their own homes." Read one council's guidance on ball games. That is one council's view about open space and neighbour disputes, and it is not law.
Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own roads law, which was not checked here. None of this is legal advice, and your local council or neighbourhood policing team can answer for your own street.
Five rules, not suggestions
Street Football Safety Rules for Kids: Five You Can't Bend
These are for the case where the street is genuinely the only space. Only the first draws on the Highway Code. The other four are plain practical advice from me, not drawn from any of the sources.
- 1
A grown-up on the road side. Stand between the child and the traffic, as the Highway Code says for walking.
- 2
The kerb is the line. If the ball goes past it, everyone stops and the grown-up looks both ways and gets it.
- 3
Soft ball, along the ground. Nothing lifted, nothing hard and nothing that bounces into the road.
- 4
Nowhere near junctions, driveways or gaps between parked cars. A driver pulling out cannot see a small child there.
- 5
Stop when a car comes. Agree a shared word, say it calmly, and put the ball under a foot until the car has passed. Look as well as listen, because some cars make very little noise at low speed.
A script for the freeze: "Shall we freeze until the car has gone past?" I used to say "watch out" when a car came, which turned out to mean nothing to anyone mid-dribble. A freeze word did more.
Street or park?
When the Street Isn't Worth It
Playing football safely with no garden near a road starts with choosing the place. Choose the street only if every condition in the first row holds. If any condition in the second row holds, walk to a park or open space.
| Choose | When |
|---|---|
| The street | All of these are true: a dead end or very quiet road, no parked cars either side of where you play, a grown-up on the road side, and only one or two children. |
| A park or open space | Any of these is true: a through road or a bend, cars parked along both sides, dusk or poor light, a ball that keeps reaching the road, more than one adult needed to watch, or a toddler in tow. |
For a workable park and indoor rhythm, see no garden football games. For the wet or dark evening when neither the street nor the park works, use the safe hallway football rules. If you have a driveway, driveway football game ideas covers that flat space instead.
One legal way to make the street safe
A Play Street Is One Legal Way to Make the Street Safe
A Temporary Play Street Order lets residents close a street to traffic so children can play. Bristol's scheme allows up to 3 hours, as often as once a week, with at least 8 weeks' notice, and residents keep vehicle access. Read Bristol's play street scheme.
The enabling power is section 29 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, which covers England, Wales and Scotland. Read the street playgrounds power. Northern Ireland and other nations run their own routes, as the play streets charity's country-by-country note sets out.
Those are Bristol's terms. Other councils set their own and some do not run a scheme, so ask your own council. It takes neighbours, not one parent, but it is the version of street play that has no traffic in it.
Quick answers
Common Questions About Football Near a Road
Can ball games be legally played on a public road?
In England and Wales it is an offence if it is to the annoyance of road users, per the police's own answer and section 161(3) of the Highways Act 1980. By-laws can add limits about annoying residents. Scotland and Northern Ireland differ, so ask your council or local police team.
Is it legal to play football on the street UK?
Not always, and not never: it depends on annoyance to road users or residents and on local by-laws. One council says young children playing near home is a fair expectation and that playing on a grassed verge or open space is not illegal. This is not legal advice.
Is it safe for my child to play football near a road?
A road is not a play space. The Highway Code says to keep between children and traffic and hold their hand firmly, and RoSPA says never let a child go near a road alone. If the street is the only space, a grown-up on the road side, a soft ball and a stop when a car comes are the minimum.
Can I get my street closed so children can play?
Many councils run temporary play street schemes. Bristol's allows up to three hours as often as once a week with 8 weeks' notice, and residents keep vehicle access. Ask your own council for its terms.
Keep going
Where to Go From Here
Three places to go next, depending on where you are playing. If a sign says no ball games, where kids can play football instead lists the options.
Too dark or wet to go out?
Indoor rules that keep the breakables safe.
See the hallway rulesGot a driveway instead?
Three games and a boundary rule for a private drive.
See the driveway gamesTonight's five minutes
Walk to the nearest park tonight, or agree the freeze word before the ball comes out.
Five minutes on the pavement with the ball under your foot beats five minutes chasing it.