Aucuba,pyracantha and viburnumn tinus will all grow to 6 feet or more and cope with shade.

Aucuba will cope best with deep shade but the spikes of pyracantha will keep little boys out!

Good luck :o)

I'd have said Pyracantha too, as it has both flowers and berries. There's also an evergreen Berberis which is also lovely and spiky! It's B. darwinii, and it will take partial shade. It has orange flowers. Mahonias too - they grow in shade and are attractive all year round.

I've added this question to GoYpedia screening/privacy ideas. :o)

I will second the hedge of Mahonia. They do take time to grow but look great and unusual. Personally I would put up a privet or laurel hedge or mix a deciduous hedge (spiny blackthorn will stop anyone) with some Holly and something like a Thuja cypress thrown in for extra privacy.

I'm not sure how well some of those suggestions would cope with the deep shade Kogsy has described

Whilst there are many shrubs that will fit the bill, many will be expensive to buy as mature shrubs. Berberis darwinii will grow to 20ft high if given time, yes evergreen, prickly leaves, orange flowers and blue berries. For instant, and at a reasonable price, then Prunus laurocerasus, the cherry laurel will be football and kid proof, or visually more pleasant then Prunus lusiticana, the Portugal laurel.

Did you know thow theres laws about fence hight theres none about trellis so you could put it on top of your fence and grow say a climbing rose perhaps and the balls won't make it over so easily anyway .