Inside the incredible £1m 'fake council estate' football theme park coming to Sheffield

Football fans will have the chance to relive childhood memories of street kickabouts against garages if plans for a £1m city attraction are given the go-ahead.

Plans have been submitted to convert a disused warehouse into a street football-themed experience designed to strip the beautiful game 'back to its purest form'.

If successful, it would see the 50,000 sq ft building in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, converted into a street scene for families to enjoy a kickabout.

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Visitors would be able to shoot against garages, find the top bin and play kerby against each other. There are also plans for a purpose-built maisonette where footy fans can drop balls from the top floor for their friends to control.

And pub signs will be strategically placed for budding David Beckhams to try to hit in an urban twist on the classic crossbar challenge at the proposed Yard Ball venue.

Tekkers Leisure, the firm behind the plans, say its high-tech features will also let visitors pit their wits against the world’s strongest AI goalkeeper.

A spokesman said: “One-man Wembley, spot, kerby – the games we all played as kids are back. Anyone who played football as a child knows the feeling of practicing their skills on the street, car park or field.

"Remember when Gazza sent Colin Hendry for a hot dog? Ever try and recreate Tony Yeboah’s crossbar-bashing volleys? Those days are coming back.

“While football is a multi-billion-pound industry, for us it’s simply just a sport. And sport is first and foremost about enjoyment. Early memories of football are what shape our future relationships with it.

"Those fortunate enough to grow up in a period where we created memories on our own doorstep know football is about expression, not pressure.

“By stripping back football to what it should be – fun with a ball with your mates or family – Yard Ball will provide a much-needed escape from the pressures of modern-day football and provide new and exciting opportunities to create memories that will last a lifetime."

The firm says it wants to reintroduce people to football in a 'fun, positive and inclusive environment'. Food stalls would sell cuisine inspired by football tournaments and plans also include a social club at the venue, just outside Sheffield city centre.

On the menu would be tacos inspired by Mexico ‘86, pizza and pasta from Italia ‘90 and the pie and peas or fish and chips from Euro ‘96.

Proposals were submitted earlier this month and include plans for private hire spaces. On its website, Yard Ball promises the return of 'garage goals, the original knockabout, street football, balls stuck under cars and headers and volleys'.

It evokes memories such as 'asking for your ball back, kerby, baggy kits, jumpers for goalposts, crossbar challenges, football italia and World in Motion'.

It adds: "It’s. All. Coming. Back. No half-and-half scarves. No goal music. And definitely no VAR." Its proposals also include community engagement plans to meet the FA's target to encourage more people from under-represented groups, to engage with the sport.

If given the green light, work could start this autumn and the attraction open in early 2024, cheating around 24 jobs, a planning document states.

The timber warehouse that previously occupied the site shop closed in December. It has remained empty since.

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