Yard Ball has opened in Sheffield with a promise to transport you back to the glory days of football.
If you were a kid who grew up in the 80s or 90s, you may know a thing or two about days spent playing football (or causing mischief) in the street with an ice cream in hand, pleading for ‘just one more minute!’ as your mum called you in for tea. Sound familiar? Yard Ball offers the chance to relieve those nostalgic childhood kickabouts against a backdrop of music, graffiti and cars.
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“Yard Ball is all about having fun, encouraging people to have a go and escape,” Creative Director and Founder Scott Riley told us. “It’s all about getting the fulfilment of football without all of the modern day pressures that surround the game we know today – football has lost its fun, and we are simply putting the fun back into it.”
It all started out of boredom in lockdown, when Scott was chatting with his kids about what he got up to growing up. He grew up living in a maisonette in Sheffield, where washing lines were goalposts, garages were nets and football was life. It was then that he realised he wanted to recreate this for the younger generation – enter the help of Creative Director Oliver Booth.
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The pair wanted to take a council estate environment and amp it up, turning it into a leisure concept. They settled upon a 50,000-square foot site just outside Sheffield city centre, previously owned by timber specialists Arnold Laver. Based on Scott’s childhood neighbourhood, the abandoned warehouse has been completely transformed.
Walk in and the first thing you’ll notice is the graffiti sprawled on the walls, accompanied by flags, posters, vintage football shirts and more. Ice cream vans and abandoned cars sit alongside garages and telephone boxes, but what we loved most was the replica of Scott’s childhood home – you can kick a ball through a hole in the front door or into an upstairs window!
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But let’s not forget about the games. Kerby is probably the one we’re all the most familiar with – throwing the ball against the opposite kerb – but there are so many more, from the crossbar challenge to bin shoots. The speed shot was great fun, where you can test your shot power and see how fast the ball goes on a teletext display.
After you’ve worked up a hunger, be sure to nip over to the cafe. It’s inspired by a 1970s working men’s club, with old copies of the Green Un framed on the wall. The food is inspired by iconic tournaments gone by – the ’86 is tacos and quesadillas, the ’90 a tasty pizza and the ’96 a warm pork pie with mushy peas. There’s also a bar full of Madri, Aspel, Guinness, and Hoffmeister.
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If you still need persuading, here’s why Scott thinks you should pop by, “You can come and experience something like you’ve never experienced before unless you grew up in the 80s or 90s. Adults can reminisce, children can discover, and more importantly, everyone will get the same fulfilment and satisfaction.”
Yard Ball, Little London Road, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S8 0UH. Tickets are £14.95 for children over seven and adults.
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