Jumpers for goalposts.

[Saxondale]

Oh, and one-touch wallie. One touch to hit the ball against the wall (usually as hard as possible to make it difficult for the next person.) You were eliminated if you took more than one touch or worse still... missed the wall.

This was a cracking game!

[Fox92]

So is there anyone who still just goes out and plays football with however many of mates they can get together on the local piece of open space whenever they can?

Up untill my last year at school, year 2008, we would still go out and play football. But now it is impossible, especially where I live. Every field now has fence around to prevent people going on. Yeah it is sad to see. I think it is to stop people with dog's. I hate the fact that people walk dog's on football fields where people are playing. Someone I knew slid in dog mess and his knee became infected. Sick. That is the only advantage of the council closing off fields. But from a Sport's point of view it is sad to see.

I only know one friend that goes out and play's regular football... but that's because he plays for Sheffield Wednesday's first team most week's!

[Darkon84]

Potential to be an epic thread of Maynard proportions...

Also, I envisage a mid-summer Foxestalk jumpers for goalposts, uber large game (or split in to groups), of cuppies, on VIctoria Park or something, instead of the 5-a-side tournament

EDIT: Add in some disposable BBQs and beer too, for an epic all day event

[Raj]

Oh, and one-touch wallie. One touch to hit the ball against the wall (usually as hard as possible to make it difficult for the next person.) You were eliminated if you took more than one touch or worse still... missed the wall.

SPOT.

[Foxhateram]

Was on school placement a few weeks back. I went out at breaktime and found that football was banned due to it causing arguments and fights between children! (Well of course that was just part and parcel when I was at school)

but anyway, I announced that I was going to run football at lunchtimes for those who want to play. Ended up with pretty much 50 kids going I want to play. It was that rare for them.

So I said right, we will play tournaments with rush goalies ("rush goalies? what is that!) I'm there thinking have you really never done this before? So i asked them about when they play, I am not joking they have never played football away from their saturday football camp, "mum doesn't let me play in the aprk on my own" a year 4 kid for christ sake!

I used to play football everynight of the week, used to put jumpers down, bikes, goal posts sometimes even told the girls to stand and be posts!

We played wembley (one keeper, all V all), Donkey's Ass (you had 5 points, losing them for misses or gaining them for skill/goals. The person who got to 0 first or 10 last got the ball booted at their ass), Tournaments, in the summer all the fair weather players used to come out and we would play massive games in the full size goals at the local FC.

Best part of my childhood that! Radiculuous nowadays, where I live their is a massive field, with goal posts and apart from saturday matches it is NEVER used!

It's really sad.

[StanSP]

60 seconds was good (timed Headers and Volleys, basically).

Road to Wembley - all against all or sometimes teams of 2 against each other.

Hack attack - Players like Karl Henry would have thrived in this game!

[Saxondale]

Was on school placement a few weeks back. I went out at breaktime and found that football was banned due to it causing arguments and fights between children! (Well of course that was just part and parcel when I was at school)

That's insane. Anyway, surely the kids are going to be more likely to bicker and antagonise each other if they've not got something like football to keep them occupied!

[The Doctor]

School lunch times were all about playing football - on the tarmac sort of stuff or (on the odd occasion we were allowed) the field.

Was more trees/ supporting pillars for posts than jumpers though.

[Trav Le Bleu]

SPOT.

I was wondering what everyone meant by Spot.

[jonlcfc1990]

I take it you all remember the 'rush keepers' rule too? Also known as rush and scramble.

Fantastic thread takes me back

[Foxhateram]

That's insane. Anyway, surely the kids are going to be more likely to bicker and antagonise each other if they've not got something like football to keep them occupied!

Apparently not, had to fight to get it back in the playground and the condition was that I would be fully responsible for anything that happened. According to lunchtime supervisors their job has been much easier since the ban. I think the main problem was the lunchtime ladies having a problem with it tbh, but most schools I have visited have banned it, or made it so it can only be played on certain days of the week when staff can supervise.

[purpleronnie]

It's true, every waking minute was spent playing football, we used to get to school early so we could have a game, every break time and then after school, always getting friends together for games during the holidays, sometimes just playing outside on the road.

I never...repeat never see kids kicking a football about.

What do kids do thesedays? Just stay in updating their facebook page?

[ScouseFox]

Knockouts, Heads n Vs, Red arse etc.

Sometimes football got banned in school when we used to see who could hit other kids from the other side of the yard. Bit cruel looking back. Fun though.

[Trav Le Bleu]

Going to add a poll to this.

Does anyone think that this is affecting the quality of young talent coming through?

Personally I think those that have the talent are just as good or better technically, but less of them.

[davieG]

Up untill my last year at school, year 2008, we would still go out and play football. But now it is impossible, especially where I live. Every field now has fence around to prevent people going on. Yeah it is sad to see. I think it is to stop people with dog's. I hate the fact that people walk dog's on football fields where people are playing. Someone I knew slid in dog mess and his knee became infected. Sick. That is the only advantage of the council closing off fields. But from a Sport's point of view it is sad to see.

I only know one friend that goes out and play's regular football... but that's because he plays for Sheffield Wednesday's first team most week's!

i think it's to stop Gypsies setting up camp.

[Trav Le Bleu]

Gypos hate football!

[acooling08]

_{I only left College (Countesthorpe College) last year. We used to play football virtually every day at luch from around March-October depending on the weather.}

[Trav Le Bleu]

_{I only left College (Countesthorpe College) last year. We used to play football virtually every day at luch from around March-October depending on the weather.}

You let winter stop you?

[acooling08]

You let winter stop you?

You know what it's like. About half of the group don't want to go outside (puffs), then a chain reaction of 'Well if so-and-so isn't going out then I'm not' and then the few that did want to play football end up giving in and staying indoors.

[Foxhateram]

You let winter stop you?

Exactly! ffs what is wrong with people nowadays! A bit of rain will not kill you! Neither will muddy shoes/uniform! That's what mums are for!

In response to the poll. Having worked in football development in Devon for a fair amount of time and also observing qaulity in schools then I think it has had a major effect. If you listen to pro's talk about their childhood they talk fo playing football non-stop. It is that playing time that develops your feeling for the ball, the first touch, the control etc. Even if it's just keepy uppy's. Lack of time with a ball at your feet makes your development slower, the older you get the slower you develop so younger days are so important in progression.

A lot of players make it or don't at the 15-16 age group, they need to be GOOD to get into the men's team but most areas don't host leagues over 16's. So lack of plying time in the 15-16 development year makes a massive different.

I once told children in one of my football camp's to go home and practice keepy uppy's in teir garden/park. I had complaints from parents saying that flower pots were broken etc. Seriously that attitude of some people astonishes me, a flower pot is more important then their child's development in a sport they love. No wonder kids are fat!

[Trav Le Bleu]

I once told children in one of my football camp's to go home and practice keepy uppy's in teir garden/park. I had complaints from parents saying that flower pots were broken etc. Seriously that attitude of some people astonishes me, a flower pot is more important then their child's development in a sport they love. No wonder kids are fat!

That's another childhood memory - fetching the ball out of the neighbours garden! They didn't have kids and were usually pretty miserable about it, so if we did it often we'd hotch over the (wire - don't catch your gooleys!) fence and try and get the ball back without them noticing. And we didn't have a big garden either, just a standard council house garden.

[Corky]

Winter was the best time to play football- slide tackles, covered in mud.

Brilliant times.

[StanSP]

That's another childhood memory - fetching the ball out of the neighbours garden! They didn't have kids and were usually pretty miserable about it, so if we did it often we'd hotch over the (wire - don't catch your gooleys!) fence and try and get the ball back without them noticing. And we didn't have a big garden either, just a standard council house garden.

Good shout. At our old house, my brother always made me go and get the ball (whether it was because I used to hit it over or he was lazy, jury's still out ), and our neighbours sometimes got so annoyed that they'd let us just go through their garage and their garden to find it!

[Captain...]

I even remember playing football with a can in the street, until the neighbours got so pissed off with the noise. The same as others on here, at school in the summer on the field everyday, in the winter on the tarmac with a tennis ball, we couldn't use a bigger ball on the playground. Playing with a tennis ball certainly helps your touch.

Played out on the street until it was dark, smashed a few windows

Played down the park until the bigger boys turned up to smoke and kiss each other.

Even at uni I would play 3-4 times a week on 5 a-side pitches and Sunday league and get some mates together and head down the park.

Loved it.

Back in Spain I play every Sunday with people from 7 to 70 years old (the septugenarian is an ex-pro, still got a decent first touch but can't run). It is certainly much more prevalent in Spain than in the UK, you can always rock up during the weekend and find some people playing footy. Huge south american contingent too so they are all much better on the ball than the English ex-pats.

[Darkon84]

Winter was the best time to play football- slide tackles, covered in mud.

Brilliant times.

Klinsmannnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn!