How to Host a Soccer Match-day Party

Mariah Balic

How to Host a Soccer Match-day Party

It’s so fun to have a bunch of friends over to watch the match! All your pals heckling the TV and eating snacks makes for an awesome time you will all remember for a long time, or at least until the next match-day! Throw a killer match-day party after checking out these simple tricks.

Or maybe the party is for your child soccer player and their friends to watch a match together and you want to make sure they enjoy it. Impressing your child’s friends can get you a big win with your child so make this a party their friends won’t forget.

We have a few tips and tricks when it comes to hosting a soccer match viewing party for yourself or for the kids who love soccer in your life. Get your match-day party supercharged with these awesome party ideas and activities.

The TV

Here’s the thing about the TV and match-day: the people you invite to the match-day arty need to be able to see the match on the TV.

So when planning your match-day party, make sure that you keep in mind how big your TV is as well as how big your house is.

But a small TV or house is no reason to panic! We have some helpful ideas to make sure everyone you want at the party can view the match in a stylish and fun manner.

If the TV is looking a little crowded, rearranging the furniture a little to create a match-viewing area can be a way to create more space for people, even if it isn’t how your house is normally set up. Be sure to provide a table for people to put their drinks and snacks on as they watch the match. This dedication to the flow of the party is going to pay off in how the party looks and feels to the guests and you!
If you have a smaller TV or home, think about getting a projector (they’re cheaper than you’d think) and setting it up outside against the back of the house or against a screen at the park! Set out some blankets on the ground with some pillows for a picnic match-day vibe. Using a projector to watch the match can be such a fun and unique way of watching the match, you and your guests won’t want to watch a match any other way again!

Decorations

The first rule of the decorations is to stick to the colors of the team you and your guests are rooting for. Knowing these colors will totally guide what you buy in terms of decorations and supplies for the party and so will make decorating really easy! Hang streamers from the walls and doorways in team colors, or hang extra jerseys you might have on the walls too. You can also match the drinks and snacks to the colors of the team as well, with different flavors or food coloring!

The Guests

And don’t forget– part of the decorations for the party will be your guests. Ask your guests to wear a team jersey or dress in team colors. If you plan the match-day party for children, perhaps provide some jerseys, pinnies, or colored t-shirts so no one feels left out.

Party Supplies

When setting up the party drinks and food will be a focal point so use this to our advantage and buy plastic silverware, cups, plates, and paper napkins that match your teams’ colors. And of course, this is a soccer match-day so don’t be shy to buy soccer ball-themed supplies either!

Goal!

If you have a big wall, consider making or buying a goal poster to enhance the party atmosphere. Make sure to remove any breakables from the room before introducing a soccer ball to practice shooting goals with! Your guests are going to love and be excited by how far out you’ve gone to create the perfect match-day party feeling.

Drinks

What drinks you plan for the party depends on the part goers of course. If you are planning a party for adults, having two different options for beer and/or liquor is a good and easy call. You can even make up cocktails specifically for your party with fun match-day-type names!

But options are good to have and a non-alcoholic beverage such as Gatorade or lemonade can make people who don’t drink feel comfortable and those who are drinking can get hydrated on the side.

Mocktails are increasingly popular these days too! Think about setting up a soda bar with a few different sodas and flavor syrups so the children can make their own mocktails which can also be a fun activity. If the guests are children or you would like to avoid a sticky mess, consider prebatching the mocktails in large dispensers or carafes.

Other children-friendly and healthy drink options could be any sports drink(s) or natural fruit juice(s).

Healthy Snacks

There are so many great match-day snacks that you can make super quickly!

Any great party has to have chips and dip. Whatever flavor of chips or dips is totally up to you but my favorite combo right now is hummus and everything flavored pretzel chips! It’s such a yummy combo and there’s a little bit of protein to keep my going too. But of course, you can’t go wrong with some tortilla chips and queso!
I also recommend having some fresh veggies to go with your dips such as baby carrots, celery, and sweet peppers for a health-conscious and gluten-free option.
Of course, if you want a fancier option for appetizers, consider setting out a charcuterie board of your favorite salumi and cheeses!
Fresh fruits like apples and grapes make a great combination for charcuterie boards as well as a snack all on their own!

Maybe for half-time, you want to fire up the grill and roast some hot dogs or chicken wings! If the grill is too much work you can also prepare hot dogs or chicken wings ahead of time on the stove or in the oven.
As for dessert, popsicles or ice cream bars are an easy match-day dessert for adults or children, especially if it’s hot out on match-day.
Brownies make another awesome match-day dessert option and can be baked at home or bought at the store. These are easy to serve and distribute to your hungry guests!
Soccer ball-decorated cupcakes are another adorable, though a bit extra, dessert option for your party. You can frost the tops of the cupcakes into the design of a soccer ball or ask a local bakery for a special order. Your guests will appreciate the additional effort you’ve gone into making a very special match-day party!
For more options, check out our blog on snacks for youth soccer players.

Activities

Watch the Ball Game

This is sort of a passive game to get people involved in the party who maybe like to chat more than watch the match. A balloon that looks like a soccer ball is passed from one person to the next so that it never touches the ground.
If adults are playing, add some extra fun in form of a rule: anyone who drops the ball has to take a drink.

FIFA

If you happen to have a game console set up FIFA before or after the actual game. FIFA is a really fun interactive game that at least two players can play. Each player controls a famous soccer team or builds a team out of famous soccer players. The two players can then face-off in a match of their very own! You can even take this game to a tournament and have all the guests compete to be the ultimate FIFA champion.

Anyone Taking Bets?

Placing bets on different aspects of the match can be a fun way to feel the stakes of the match more intensely! To simplify betting, set out mason jars with a piece of paper taped to the jar which describes different outcomes. Guests can then put money into whichever outcome they think is going to happen and record their bet on the paper on the jar.
If children are playing give every child a certain amount of packaged candies to bet with. Consider using Hershey's kisses, or Reese’s Cups. The winner will be so excited to take all that candy home!

Conclusion

Throwing a match-day party can be nerve-wracking without a plan but hopefully, you’ve read this blog and are bursting with excitement to get planning your perfect match-day party.

You’ve thought about how to plan the party around the actual activity of the day– watching the game, as well as how to color coordinate the decorations and supplies and even the guests to match the colors of the team you and your guests are rooting for.

You’ve brainstormed some basic and exciting party snacks and drinks to keep your guests feeling good for the game. And lastly, you even thought of some activities besides the actual match to keep your guests entertained and to take your match-day to the next level!

https://www.mensjournal.com/health-fitness/how-host-game-day-party-your-place/

Mariah Balic

About the Author

Mariah Balic is a digital marketer, content creator, and poet living in the PNW. She has a passion for writing helpful and informative material as well as a love for the game of soccer. She can be found walking her dog or baking most afternoons.