It’s part of Kiwi culture to be able to wander down to the local football or rugby field and play a game with friends. If you didn’t spend half your childhood kicking a ball around until the street lights went on, then were you really a Kiwi kid? Now, however, times are changing.

The local sports field is even further away than it used to be, and traffic is making it harder to access on foot. Then, there’s the parental supervision. Not all parents want to spend countless hours at a local park when they could be getting dinner ready or catching up on household chores.

This is why it’s a good idea to start looking at sports that you and the kids can play in your backyard. You might have to look at lawn mowing and a garden tidy-up first, but now’s the perfect time to start looking at some options.

Cricket

Two words: backyard cricket. It’s in our DNA. If you’ve got plenty of space and understanding neighbours, then it’s time to get ready for some intense family competition. You’ll need a few tennis balls (which are far softer and less damaging than the real deal), two sets of stumps, and a cricket bat. Two or more players are also necessary to release your inner competitive streak.

Set the stumps up around ten metres apart on your grass, with the batter’s stump against a fence if possible. Choose your batter and bowler and get everyone else in position around your lawn. There is no need to replicate a real cricket pitch, but near enough will be more than satisfactory.

Backyard cricket is an ideal sport to play in the backyard, but make sure you hit the ball in the safest direction and away from fragile objects.

Swingball

Many a Christmas and festive season have been spent around the base of a swingball set. If you haven’t run to mum and dad crying that you’ve been hit in the face, then you’ve never put your ‘all’ into the game. If there’s any competitive sport worth setting up in your backyard, it’s swingball.

You will need to clear a bit of space, but a small yard is okay. Push the swingball stake into the ground and have enough room for one person to stand on either side with a paddle. Remove any obstacles from the area, and use your downtime after or before the game to improve your hand-eye coordination.

Golf

Many families have had to say goodbye to the quarter-acre dream, which means any game of golf you play in your yard is definitely not going to be conventional. While you won’t be partaking in 18 holes with your golf cart, you will be able to produce a mini version that will be both fun to play and to set up with the kids.

Find buckets, containers, and other unique items you can use as “holes” for the ball. You can then work your way around the yard, hitting golf balls into each hole. Such a sport will keep the whole family entertained for hours.

Badminton

If you only have a little bit of lawn area or merely a courtyard, then badminton is going to be a firm favourite in your household. All you will need is something to resemble a net (or actually buy a net), a minimum of two racquets, and a shuttlecock.

This is a game that doesn’t require you to play by the rules, which is perfect for families with kids who normally ignore them anyway. Simply hit the shuttlecock over the net. If your opponent doesn’t return a serve, you get the point.

Badminton is an affordable and fun pastime for anyone in the family. Both adults and kids can play together, or the kids can gang up on the adults! Whether it’s a special event or something fun to do on the weekend, it’s a worthwhile addition to your backyard.

How to prepare your backyard for sports

You now know what you can play in your backyard, but how do you make it so your yard is up to scratch? The first thing to tackle is your lawns. A short lawn can make it easier to partake in all manner of sports – from golf through to cricket. You can either mow the lawns yourself or hire a lawn mowing expert nearby to take care of them for you.

While you’re at it, it’s also a good idea to take care of hedge trimming. A stray shuttlecock in an overgrown hedge would take hours to find – if you ever managed to find it at all. The same rule applies to your gardens. The less wild they are, the easier it will be to find tennis balls from your game of cricket or a paddle thrown in anger during a game of swingball.

It’s your time to shine

The sun is still shining so why not make the most of it? Your backyard can become your very own sports field with just a little bit of effort and maintenance. Call upon your local lawn care expert for help to tame the wilderness, then pop to the shops for all the sports equipment you’ll need. Let the games begin!