GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Rodney Greenland doesn’t play much soccer these days, but an ongoing problem that starts up every year around this time has him feeling like a goalie.
Situated across the street from Sibley Elementary School, Greenland has lived in his home since 1988. It wasn’t until after Sibley completed renovations that Greenland claims he began experiencing cracked windshields, broken windows to his home and damage to his landscape all because of stray soccer balls.
“It’s five to ten balls a night going over the fence, every night,” said Greenland. “When they’re over there playing they’re just constantly kicking the balls over the fence and they’re breaking stuff – windshields, flower beds, solar lights, windows in the house.”
Greenland says in the last few years since the problem started, he’s had to replace three windshields and a window to his home. Insurance does cover some of the costs, but each time Greenland and his wife are left without a vehicle and now he’s worried that claim after claim could spell problems for his coverage.
“Eventually if I have to eat enough deductibles the insurance may cancel me,” said Greenland. “So I could lose my homeowners insurance and my car insurance - or my rates could go up.”
Greenland claims it’s often after-hours players causing the damage. After reaching out to Grand Rapids Public Schools today, a spokesperson told us technically, after-hours activity on school grounds is considered trespassing. But in their pursuit to be community driven, they likely wouldn’t enforce that rule unless the activity became more frequent and organized.
There is a fence in place, but Greenland feels the damage is significant proof that it isn’t high enough. Greenland doesn’t want to ruin anyone’s fun, he just doesn’t want to keep spending money on damage he feels can be controlled.
“I would like to see some kind of fence or a catch net that high enough that it’ll keep them from at least flying over the fence or slow them down,” he suggested. “When they just keep constantly kicking them over here and kicking them over here and causing damage and taking money out of my pocket, it just gets frustrating and you don’t know what to do.”
GRPS has been in touch with Greenland and said they will discuss options for a resolution.
