Getting their kicks

The issue is – what else? – football.

In the past, housing associations and local authorities have generally done their best to protect their properties from budding young premiership stars by plastering housing estates with signs prohibiting ball games. But, thankfully for England manager Sven Goran Eriksson the basic desire to kick a ball has tended to win through.

The Sumner Buildings estate is typical of this attitude. It is a small residential block, nestling like an uncomfortable away fan in the wrong end of the ground among the investment banks and office blocks of Southwark, within a hefty punt of the Tate Modern and the London Eye.

There are the usual "no ball games" signs on every wall of the newly resurfaced interior quadrant, yet the estate's 80 children are unconcerned. Despite risk of injury, they play on the rough surface of a tarmac pitch on a far corner of the estate "for hours and hours" according to ten-year-old Jayce.

Fifteen-year-old Jermaine agrees that the playing surface leaves much to be desired. "We used to play every Sunday, but it stopped because a guy fell over and got glass from a broken bottle in his hand. He had to go to hospital to get it removed."

Dangerous it may be, but the youngsters are treading in the hallowed steps of players such as Joe Cole and Rio Ferdinand – England players who grew up playing the game on London's streets and who, coincidentally, are injury-free for the team's World Cup attempt.

Maria Chapman, chair of the estate's residents' association, says that from a parent's point of view – her son Bobby, seven, stands next to her, kitted out in the latest England strip – the pitch is a godsend.

"When it's the summer holidays there's nothing for the kids to do apart from kick a ball about." She adds that she has resigned herself to the effects of the World Cup.

"It will definitely make a difference to the number of kids out there playing football," she sighs.

Malvern Baker works as the residential estate officer for the landlord, the Corporation of London. "If the pitch wasn't there it would be murder dealing with the children," he says, looking momentarily concerned at the thought. He adds: "But I'd rather have the kids doing something where they aren't running over roofs."

Tenants can forget they were once kids themselves

Malvern Baker, estate officer

Baker's job brings him into daily contact with the families living on the estate. Not everybody welcomes the enthusiasm of the local children to be the next Joe Cole or Rio Ferdinand, he says.

"There are often a lot of negative attitudes from tenants about the kids playing on the estate. A lot of them sometimes forget that they were once kids themselves."

Even the housing and planning minister Lord Falconer acknowledged the problem in a recent interview. "People have said to me that almost the worst aspect of their lives is children kicking a football against a wall."

Baker agrees, saying that when he arrived at the estate last year, the problem of boys playing football and breaking windows was "the bane of my and many residents' lives".

Chapman says that she and a number of other parents are trying to raise the £5000 to £6000 they estimate it will cost to get the playing pitch resurfaced in more forgiving asphalt.

Sylvia George, area housing manager for the Corporation of London, says that the landlord has recently invested in a facelift for the rest of the estate and the pitch is not one of her priorities.

She adds that there is already around £1000 available to be spent on any resurfacing work, as a result of an access charge levied on the Peabody Trust for repairs to one of its adjacent properties.

Malvern Baker, however, remains sceptical. "The chance of getting the pitch resurfaced by the Corporation of London is only 50/50," he admits.

"We would play more, but it's not worth the risk of getting injured," says Jermaine. "The problem is that there are no local clubs around here for us to play or train at, so we've got to make do."