Seaside Heights residents divided over rules and enforcement – ​​Lavallette-Seaside Shorebeat

Have the beaches become too crowded to safely play soccer on the sand? Some Seaside Heights residents say they have and that it poses a safety hazard, while others believe people should be free to throw volleyballs or play “sticky catch” with Velcro balls and rackets and the like.

Those who believe common sense should be followed rather than harsh policies are more in line with the borough’s policy, which will continue to be reviewed after some residents raised concerns about playing football in the company of crowds sitting on the beach who may not expect the ball to fly towards them and potentially hit them.

“Is playing football actually allowed on the beach when there are footballs everywhere?” one resident asked at a recent council meeting.

The answer, according to District Administrator Christopher Vaz, is, “Technically, no.”

The ban on playing beach volleyball, however, is typically enforced when officials determine the beach is crowded enough to warrant play.

“The way the lifeguards deal with it is they push it back toward the dunes in the early morning hours, and if it gets out of control, they have to close it down,” Vaz said. “At one point over Memorial Day weekend, I saw on the cameras that there were too many people playing football, so I personally called (Lifeguard Captain) Jay Boyd and just asked them to close it down.”

On busy days, large groups of people playing football near the dunes can also cause problems.

“Another problem is that balls end up on the dunes and children climb over snow fences and barriers, which creates problems,” Vaz said.

A resident who asked about official policy said heavy objects, such as regulation footballs, are thrown at unsuspecting beachgoers sitting on chairs even closer to the water.

“I really don’t think they should be playing football, especially on weekends,” said councillor Richard Tompkins.

Another resident at the same meeting had a different opinion.

“I have a picture on my phone of an empty beach where they said, ‘No football allowed,’” he said. “If the beach is empty, why can’t they play?”

Vaz agreed, but added that police and lifeguards often have to make decisions based on their own experiences, and that such policies are sometimes applied citywide when beaches are crowded.

“That’s how we did it,” he said.

The resident said the police had shown diligence but was not in favour of a policy of completely banning football.

“On Franklin Avenue, the police are doing it and the lifeguards are really acting responsibly, but I have a recording of them saying you can’t and the beach is empty,” he said.

The ordinance is expected to remain in place as is, but Vaz said he will meet with police and lifeguard supervisors to inform them of the issue as soon as it arises.