We had similar, a big grassy area surrounded by houses with wooden fences enclosing the back gardens. On one fence was a sign "No Football Games, By Order of C.D.C" - the council. Rarely stopped us, and the sign was drawn over numerous times.
I remember being really young and a few of us were playing near a house - just running around, screaming, having fun. The old woman who lived there came out and told us all to keep it quiet. We called her "Queenie" as - in our eyes - she thought she was the Queen. If anything it just encouraged us even more.