Get great party planning tips for football season, from what football food to serve to how to set up seats to watch the game, in this Tips For Throwing A Football Party post.
For help planning a menu for this party, check out all of our Game Day Snacks.
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Pete and I are big football fans. When we first started dating, we would meet up with Pete’s friends every Sunday to catch the games.
We moved to North Carolina and started streaming them at home because no bar would broadcast the New York Jets or Giants games if either was on at the same time as the Carolina Panthers.
We eventually found a bar that would play everything, and we went there weekly until we bought our house. Once we did, we turned our garage into a home theater and stream the games for the entire cul de sac.
It’s so much fun. We make food, put out snacks, and everyone comes to cheer on their favorite team.
If you’re planning on throwing a football party, we have a few tips for you to make sure your party is a success.
Tips For Throwing A Football Party
Set up football decorations
Most people will get to your party early, before the game has actually started. So you want to get them ready for football — and decorations can do that.
Start with the table where you plan to set up the food and put a clear plastic football print tablecloth over a plastic tablecloth. Make the bottom tablecloth the color of your favorite football team (or whatever team is playing that day).
You can DIY a little bit of the decorations too, if you’re feeling creative.
Make some fun, disposable crafts that can double as football décor, like our DIY Individual Football-Shaped Utensil Holders. You could also make a single DIY Football Utensil Holder for all the flatware. Or make a football bunting banner that you can reuse all season long.
For more crafts that you can make to set up around your house, check out our 10+ Football Crafts For Game Day.
And, if you don’t have time, just grab any footballs — or even football gear like helmets and shoulder pads — that your kids have and just strategically place those around your home or viewing area.
Choose football food
They say don’t play with your food, but we you should let some of your football snacks double as décor. That makes your life so much easier.
Pick up football helmet and football player candies and put them in a football paper bowl.
And, don’t feel like you have to make all football-shaped food. You can let the dinner accessories do the work for you, if you pick up items like this football tray.
Put a homemade salsa and a pico de gallo (which is basically a chunky salsa) on either side of tortilla chips. That’s so cute. And the tray is reusable, so you can fill it with other things next party, like homemade guacamole.
Grilling is clutch for homegating on Football Sundays.
Finger foods like wings are perfect for your menu (try our grilled teriyaki chicken wings if you’re looking for a suggestion). Serving finger foods with cute additions like Homemade Football Flags Party Picks pushes your party over the top.
Hot dogs and hamburgers are really easy if you’re serving a crowd.
If, for some reason, your football party is the first time you’re using your grill, sit down during pre-game and read our post with Gas Grilling Tips For Beginners, just to be safe.
If you have a sweet tooth, make a football-themed dessert. Depending on which game is America’s Game of the Week, make football candy bark in those colors. Or just make our chocolate football pretzel rods.
To be festive, use kelly green plates, forks, and knives, plus kelly green napkins. You can actually put your utensils and napkins in a football utensil caddy and bring it out every week.
For more food ideas, be sure to check out our 50+ Recipes For Game Day list. You’re bound to find a few things on there to please your crowd.
And, if you only want vegetarian recipes, check out our Vegetarian Game Day Recipes.
Football Drinks
Of course, I’m going to suggest our Kickoff Cosmo as the official drink football parties. But, that does have alcohol in it, so you want to serve that to people who are of legal drinking age only.
You can serve it in a football drink dispenser with football plastic cups. Make sure to add a cute little tag next to is that says, “does contain alcohol” so your party guests know.
If you want to be a little more rustic but still on theme, pour drinks into mason jars, swap the solid lid for football cupcake liners, and use the ring to close the jar. Then, poke the cupcake liner with a football paper straw. Your guests will be able to sit outside with their drinks and not have to worry about flies taking a sip.
Don’t forget to put out water and soda for who guests don’t drink alcohol and for the kids who come to your party.
Have lots of seats
If the game is getting good, people don’t tend to sit. But during pre-game, people like to sit, chat, make predictions, and talk smack. Make sure you have enough seats for everyone.
Put out a variety of folding chairs, camping chairs, benches, and Adirondack chairs so that people have options.
Setting them up in clusters, instead of rows, really aids in the mingling aspect of your football party.
Get the football game ready
You can’t have a football party without the football game.
We use a home projector to stream onto one of the walls in our garage. And we try and be diplomatic about what game we put on. But, if there is a conflict, we will play one game in the garage and another in the living room.
We also have a TV in our upstairs family room just in case someone needs to watch a game up there as well.
So, if you are inviting over people who root for different teams, make sure to have a way to have all the games going at once.
Set up games for non-football fans
Generally, everyone who comes to your football party is coming because they want to watch the game. But the people coming with them might not be as enthusiastic about sports.
So you have a few options.
You can set up outdoor games for them to play, like a football cornhole set. Or, you can print out football bingo cards. That way, they have an excuse to sit and watch the game, even if they’re not completely interested.
What are your tips to throwing a football party? Let us know in the comments.