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12 Things To Remember When Hosting A Football Watch Party

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Football watch parties have become a tradition among families and friends. Nothing beats the fun of watching the action over snacks and drinks. But whether it’s the Premier League or the much-awaited Super Bowl, hosting a football party takes a lot of planning.

Watch parties aren’t made equal. After all, the theme and setup depend on what the guests like. So if you want to throw a badass watch party, you must bring your A-game.

To help you, we discussed here 12 things you need to remember for a successful football watch party. Read on to learn more. Hut! Hut! 

12 Tips on How to Host a Watch Party

The secret to a memorable Premier League or NFL watch party is the right game plan. Below are 12 football watch party ideas to get you started: 

1. Choose the best location

The location of your watch party should be strategic and comfortable for action-packed viewing.

For small watch parties, the living room would be enough. But if you’re inviting friends and family over, you should bring the fun to your backyard instead.

An outdoor football watch party will give everyone enough space to move around while watching, getting snacks, or playing backyard games between commercials.

You can also set up the watch party on a pool deck, patio, or rooftop. If you want to be a little fancy, you can also book an exclusive venue.

Wherever you choose to hold the watch party, make sure that it’s safe and convenient for all your guests. It helps to ask your guests about their preferences, so you’ll know what they want for the viewing party. 

2. Mind the seating

Once you have chosen a venue, the seating arrangement is the next thing you have to consider.

Make sure there are more than enough seats to accommodate your guests. It’s better to have extra chairs than someone sitting on the floor during the watch party.

If you don’t have a large area to accommodate all guests, you can set up two watching areas in your home. You can even separate fans of opposing teams!

Overall, avoid making the seating too cramped. Football watch parties can get really heated, so you need some space for those intense fist pumps. 

3. Snacks are king!

Is it even a football Sunday without delicious snacks? Aside from the action-packed sport, the life of the party is the food you’ll serve.

You should plan your menu accordingly to ensure everyone has something to munch and sip while watching the big game.

Finger foods like fries, chicken nuggets, and chips are handy. You can also prepare sloppy joes, veggie trays, pretzels, chicken sliders, and chicken wings. These are classic and foolproof football game snacks.

Aside from the food, you should also stock up your fridge and coolers with various drinks. Make sure you have ice-cold beers, sodas, energy drinks, and more. You can also prepare your specialty cocktails for everyone to enjoy.

If your friends are bringing kids, make sure you also prepare kid-friendly snacks. You won’t go wrong with juice pouches, lemonade, or colorful kid’s beverages.

Whatever you decide to prepare, ensure no one has allergic reactions to any food ingredients. Asking ahead of time will save you and the entire group from a lot of trouble. 

4. Don't forget about the "watch" part

While you figure out the place, seating, and food, you shouldn’t forget about the viewing experience.

For small watch parties, a TV screen rental is usually enough. You can also consider a projector and screen rental for indoor viewing if you want something bigger than a television.

However, if you’re hosting a dozen guests in your backyard, we suggest you book a bigger display.

For the ultimate football watch party experience, we recommend a LED screen rental. This is perfect for outdoor viewing, even under intense sunlight. Everyone will have a clear view of the game wherever they are seated.

Whether it’s a small backyard party or a drive-in watch party, LED walls are excellent options. It can be customized into different shapes and sizes to suit your viewing preferences. 

5. Book your audio equipment

Aside from great visuals, you should also book high-quality speakers. This way, you and your friends won’t miss the play-by-play even as you refill your drink or snack bowl.

The best audio equipment will make the watch party more immersive and enjoyable for your guests. Renting show-ready equipment is better than taking chances on your old, crackly speakers.

Aside from speakers, you can also rent subwoofers for added audio impact. If you need this quality audio equipment, call us at Rent For Event, and we will deliver!

6. Send out the invites

You should start sending out invites about two to three weeks before the watch party. You can do this earlier if it’s a big event, but make sure you also send a reminder as the big day nears.

Depending on your preferred setup, you can RSVP the event or open it to anyone who wants to join. If you prefer the latter, make sure you have enough snacks and space to accommodate everyone.

If it’s just for family and friends, ask everyone to confirm at least two days before your watch party. This way, you can adjust the setup in case you need to add or reduce the size of the event. 

7. Prepare some fun games

To keep the fun going, make sure you prepare some games for a football party. This way, your guests can play between commercials or while waiting for the match to start.

Football games for parties are also effective in keeping kids occupied while the adults are busy with the game. Just make sure that the party football games are safe and supervised by at least one adult.

After the game, you can also host an outdoor movie night. You can use the same LED wall, TV screen, or projector you rented for the watch party. During this time, your guests can talk about what happened in the game while they relax for the night. 

8. Decorate for the game

You can get the game-day spirit on with sporty decorations. Use team colors on streamers, tablecloths, and balloons. If you want to be extra, you can also color-coordinate the cups, plates, and bowl colors.

Aside from that, you can get a football or a football helmet as a table centerpiece. You can also add a party lighting setup to set the action-packed vibe.

If you’re hosting a backyard watch party, an outdoor lighting rental will set the mood. This is an excellent choice if it’s delayed streaming at night.

After the watch party, you can continue the event to a full-fledged celebration, especially if your team wins. 

9. Prep your bathroom

With all the drinking and eating, you have to make sure that your bathroom is also prepared for the action. Restock with toiletries and make sure everyone will be comfortable when nature calls.

While you can decorate your bathroom for the event, avoid going overboard. You wouldn’t want to make it too cramped, like a messy porta potty in a stadium. 

10. Set an early start time

To ensure everyone has time to prepare for the game, set the start time at least 30 minutes before the match. You can stretch it to an hour, so everyone will have a chance to get some snacks or play some games.

This time allowance will let everyone choose their seat and settle for the action. The last thing you want is everyone running around, grabbing things, and spilling drinks minutes before the match starts. 

11. Set the ground rules

For an orderly watch party, you should also inform everyone of the ground rules before the match starts.

This includes putting all trash in the wastebasket, implementing the clean-as-you-go rule, or even asking each guest to bring something for the party.

What to bring to a football watch party, you ask? It can be food or drinks, which is a good idea if you organize a potluck setup for the snacks.

Above all, impose a strict rule that there would be no fights. Football games can be very intense, especially if there are opposing team fans watching together. 

12. Plan for cleanup

Lastly, you must plan for cleanup after the watch party. Once the adrenaline of the sport has waned and everyone has gone home, you still have a cleaning task to finish.

You can recruit some friends to help or ask everyone to help clean before they go.

Make sure you stock up on trash bags, kitchen towels, and dishwashing soap. But if you want to skip the exhausting task of washing the dishes, you can opt for disposable utensils instead. 

Level up your football watch party!

Whether it’s a small gathering or a drive-in event, Rent For Event will level up your football watch party. We have all the equipment you need for the best viewing experience at any sports event.

Aside from that, we have an elite AV team who will handle everything from start to finish. We will deliver, install, operate, tear down, and pick up all your rentals so that you can focus on other matters at the event.

We can provide all your audiovisual needs, regardless of how big or small your watch party is.

You and your guests will have a great time cheering for your favorite teams without technical problems. The only thing you have to worry about are the goals your team will score!

Call us for a free and no-obligation quote! Whether it’s a football match or other events, we are your one-stop event production company.

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