Member Article

Sheffield solicitor ‘on the ball’ with lease negotiations for Yard Ball

Fantasy street football became a reality in Sheffield earlier this week thanks to commercial property law specialist, Mason Thomas Law.

Acting on behalf of Yard Ball’s owners, Tekkers Leisure, Sheffield-based Mason Thomas Law negotiated the lease on a 50,000-sq-ft. facility which is now home to the UK's first street football theme park.

Located on Little London Road, Heeley, Yard Ball is already proving a success, with the owners reporting the first two days of opening being fully booked.

The immersive experience, which opened on 15 July in Sheffield, includes shooting against mock garages, crossbar challenges, and even the iconic and nostalgic ‘kerby’ game.

The 15-year lease on the building was negotiated by solicitor Cathy Thomas, Managing Director of Mason Thomas Law. She said: “It has been an honour to help bring this brand new football concept not only to Sheffield but also to the UK. Yard Ball has long been anticipated since being announced back in June last year, so to see it finally open and exceeding everyone’s expectations already is wonderful.”

Graeme Hinchliffe, Non Executive Finance Director of Tekkers Leisure said: “I have worked with Mason Thomas Law previously in my role as a business consultant and had no hesitation in recommending them to the team when it came to negotiating the lease for the new site. I wasn’t disappointed; the whole team was on the ball.”

Formerly a timber depot owned by Arnold Laver, the building has since been transformed into a £1million street football activity centre and created 25 new jobs. The building, which has been empty since December 2022 and was in a state of disrepair, has undergone its transformation to Yard Ball over a period of six months.

Graeme added: “Mason Thomas Law was very efficient throughout the lease negotiations and held our hand throughout the process. Because of the repairs needed, they had to undertake a lot of diligence work with the lease and were proactive in helping us secure both reduced rent and a rent-free period while we transformed the building. We’ve also had significant support from the landlord, Arnold Laver in supporting us to bring Yard Ball to Sheffield. It’s fantastic to finally be open and welcoming football fans to this great facility.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Anna Melton .