Where to play football in Colindale

If your child has caught the football bug, the first question is usually the simplest one: where can they actually play?

Colindale has changed a lot in the last few years. New housing, new parks, and a fair bit of investment in sport. The upshot is that there's more space to play than most families realise — you just have to know where to look.

Here's an honest rundown of where children can kick a ball in and around Colindale, from free green space to full-size floodlit 3G, and what each one is actually good for.

The best places to play

Montrose Playing Fields

The Greenway, NW9 5AT

If you only visit one, make it this one. Montrose went through a major redevelopment and it shows — and unlike most local parks, it has PROPER MARKED PITCHES, with seasonal 11-a-side and junior football layouts alongside wide open grass.

There's also a playground, outdoor gym, skate park, basketball court, table tennis, a parkour area, the Unitas Youth Zone, and a 1km marked walking route. The Hub building has a café, toilets and changing rooms — which matters more than you'd think when you've got a seven-year-old and it's started raining.

It's the one I'd point a family towards if they want to make a couple of hours of it rather than twenty minutes. Weekend mornings do get busy.

Buses 204, 303 and night bus N5, nearest stop Ajax Avenue, 2–3 minutes' walk. Routes 32, 142, 292 and 302 stop along Montrose Avenue and Burnt Oak Broadway.  ·  Café roughly 8:30am–7pm weekdays, 9am–9pm weekends.  ·  Parking no dedicated car park, and street parking nearby is limited and usually paid — check the signs before you leave the car.

Silkstream Park

Silkstream Road / Playfield Road, HA8 0DF

Right next door to Montrose and part of the same redevelopment, connected by paved footpaths. Quieter, greener, and more open in feel.

If Montrose is full on a Saturday morning, this is your backup — a two-minute walk away and usually far less crowded. Good for a quiet kickabout, or for younger siblings who'd rather not be dodging other people's games.

Buses 32, 142 and 292 stop on Montrose Avenue by the Unitas Youth Zone. Route 302 stops on Watling Avenue, a short walk from the park.

Colindale Park

Colindale Avenue, NW9 5HB

A smaller, more neighbourhood-feeling green space with a modern playground, picnic tables and open walkways. FREE AND OPEN 24 HOURS, so it's there whenever you need it.

Handy if you're on that side of Colindale and don't fancy the walk to Montrose — this is the one for a quick after-school half hour close to home.

Buses 125, 204, 303 and night bus N5, stops on Colindale Avenue, 2–4 minutes' walk.  ·  Tube Colindale station is 2–3 minutes away.

St James' Catholic High School

Great Strand, Colindale, NW9 5PE

This is the one for proper football, and it's where WE TRAIN EVERY WEDNESDAY. A full 11-A-SIDE 3G PITCH that divides into quarters, plus a 7-a-side 3G, an 11-a-side grass pitch and an indoor sports hall.

Because it's synthetic and floodlit, it plays consistently in weather that would turn a grass pitch into a mudbath. There are changing rooms and showers too, which most local options simply don't have.

The pitches are hired out on evenings, weekends and during school holidays, so it's booked in advance rather than turned up to.

Buses 303, 632, 642 and night bus N5 serve Grahame Park Way and the Royal Air Force Museum stops.  ·  Tube Colindale about 10 minutes' walk, Burnt Oak around 20.  ·  Parking on-site car park — a genuine advantage round here.

Barnet Burnt Oak Leisure Centre

Watling Avenue, Edgware HA8 0NP

Just outside Colindale but well worth knowing about. Outdoor floodlit astroturf pitches for 5-a-side and 7-a-side, available to hire for casual games.

A good middle ground if you want a decent surface and floodlights without committing to a full-size pitch — useful for birthday kickabouts and darker winter evenings.

Buses 114, 204, 251, 302 and N5 stop at Burnt Oak station on Watling Avenue. Routes 32, 142, 292 and N32 run along Burnt Oak Broadway.

Free or paid — which do you actually need?

For most families the honest answer is both, at different times.

Free green space like Montrose, Silkstream and Colindale Park is where children fall in love with the game. No pressure, no structure, nobody telling them what to do. That matters more for a young player's development than people give it credit for — a lot of the best players in the world grew up on exactly that kind of unstructured play.

A 3G pitch and a coach becomes worth it when your child starts asking questions you can't answer. Why does the ball keep going over the bar? How do I get past someone quicker than me? Why don't I get picked? At that point they need structure, repetition, and someone watching properly.

There's no rush to get there. But when they're ready, YOU'LL KNOW — because they'll be the one asking.

If your child wants to play in a team

Once a kickabout in the park isn't enough, the next step is a local club. Here's what I'd ask before committing to any of them — including us:

• Are the coaches qualified and DBS-checked? Any decent club will tell you straight away.
• Does every child actually get to play? Some clubs quietly bench the weaker players — ask how they handle game time.
• Is there a plan for your child specifically, or does everyone get the same session regardless of level?
• How does the club talk about results? If winning comes up more than development in the first conversation, take note.
• Can you watch a session before committing? If the answer is no, ask why.

Getting around Colindale

Colindale station on the Northern line is served by buses 125, 204, 303, 632, 642 and night bus N5. Burnt Oak station is served by 114, 204, 251, 302 and N5 on Watling Avenue, with 32, 142, 292 and N32 a short walk away on Burnt Oak Broadway.

Parking is tighter than you'd expect across most of Colindale — St James' is the exception, with its own car park. Elsewhere the tube and bus links are usually the easier option, and most of these places are within 10 to 15 minutes of Edgware, Mill Hill and Burnt Oak.

Common questions

Are there free football pitches in Colindale?

Yes. Montrose Playing Fields has seasonally marked grass pitches and is free to use, and there's open grass at Silkstream Park and Colindale Park. Floodlit 3G surfaces need booking in advance and are paid.

What age can children start playing properly?

Most clubs, including ours, start structured sessions from around age seven. Before that, unstructured play in the park is genuinely more valuable than organised coaching.

Do we need football boots?

For grass, trainers are fine to start with. For 3G or astroturf, moulded studs or astro trainers are more comfortable and give much better grip.

Where can my child play in winter?

This is where 3G and astroturf earn their keep. Grass pitches get waterlogged from around November; synthetic surfaces stay playable through most of the British winter, and the floodlights mean darker evenings aren't a problem.

We're a youth football club coaching boys and girls aged 7 to 16, training at St James' in Colindale on Wednesday evenings and at Avanti House in Stanmore on Tuesdays and Fridays.

If your child fancies a go, every new player is welcome to come along to a session and see how they get on — there's nothing to pay and no kit needed.