8 Steps to Hosting the Perfect College Football Party

By Elise Nelson on September 22, 2017

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Your favorite college football team is going up against their rivals this weekend, and you want to watch the game with your friends, but where? The last time Nicole hosted a game day party, her cable went out and everyone missed the second half. When Jimmy was the host, your friends all ended up with food poisoning.

It looks like it’s your turn to be the party host, and you want game day to be epic, but how? Consider these three categories if you’d like your college football party to go down in history as the greatest.

Food

1. Go for grilled and greasy

Pizza, burgers, and hot dogs are your go-to “meal foods.” If the weather permits, fire up the grill, and get cooking.

Call up your favorite pizza place and order a few pies, too. Just make sure you call far in advance because game day will have them busy.

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Forget about aesthetics — you don’t need fancy-looking food at a football party. Most of your guests will be too busy watching the game to look at what they’re eating anyway.

Plus … calories don’t count at parties.

2. Don’t forget the sweet and salty

A party isn’t complete without desserts and snacks. You’re going to have a few guests that “ate before the party” but still end up munching on something during the game.

Bagged snacks like pretzels and chips are always an option. Or you can get a little fancy and make homemade snacks!

If you want to get really clever, try baking desserts with a common theme. When your desserts call for icing, use your team colors.

Basically, if you can shape the food into a field goal, football, or helmet, it’s party-worthy.

3. Stock up on plenty of refreshments

Image via Pixabay.com

Yelling at a T.V. sure makes you thirsty. Have some options ready to grab in coolers — keep beers in one cooler, and bottled or canned sodas and water in another. You can also offer lemonade or punch in a football-shaped punch bowl!

Environment

4. Make sure you have ample party space

Don’t invite more people than you can fit in your house or apartment. That’s how the Fire Marshal gets involved, and you certainly don’t want that.

Work with the space that you do have by moving some furniture around. Choose a big room with sufficient air conditioning for your main party space, because crowds will make the party feel a little stuffy. Try to fit in some extra seating if possible so no one has to play musical chairs during the party.

Obviously, your football party won’t be complete without a good television. It should be big enough for all your friends to comfortably watch the game. Double-check that your cable and sound work well before the party begins.

Image via Pixabay.com

5. Party-proof your house before any guests arrive

Here’s a good rule of thumb — if it’s breakable or valuable, hide it in a safe place. Keeping your antique vase around a beer-drunk football fan after the opposing team scores won’t end well for you … or the vase.

Have a secure location ready to put away your prized possessions and avoid any accidents or theft. If you have any rooms in your apartment that are off-limits during party hours, lock the doors or barricade them. Make your guests aware of these “party rules” as soon as they arrive.

Replace the breakables in your living room with some soft items like stuffed animals or pillows as an added precaution. Let your guests angrily squeeze and throw those instead of the lamp on your end table.

6. Showing your team spirit is required

If you’re going to host a football party, it should feel like a football party. Decorate the entirety of your home with your team’s colors — there’s no such thing as over-the-top!

Atmosphere is one of the most important aspects of a party. If your home displays your team spirit, your friends will too. Hang team banners, buy some colored balloons, or serve food on colored plates and napkins. If you want to make it interesting, tell everyone that they have to wear something with the team’s colors in it.

People

7. Put careful thought into who you invite

Not everyone is fun at parties. You want your guests to enjoy themselves, and you don’t want to be dealing with conflicts while the game is on.

Image via Pixabay.com

As a precaution, don’t invite the friend that gets aggressive and starts breaking things. Also, if there’s one person that typically doesn’t get along with some of your other guests, leave them out of the invitation list. Avoid as much drama as possible!

Invite some friends who root for the opposing team too, just to keep things interesting, but stay civil!

Just in case your cable happens to go out, you might want to invite a representative from your cable company …

8. Try to think of everyone’s needs

If you want to throw the best football party, you need to keep all your guests happy. Make sure that you take everyone into consideration.

Are there any vegetarians? Is anyone under 21? Do any of your friends have serious food allergies? There should be something for everyone at your party – non-alcoholic beverages, vegetarian dishes, and even some healthy options for the friends that check calories at parties even though they don’t count.

You don’t have to provide everyone with their favorite foods, but let your friends know that they’re welcomed to bring their own dishes to the table. If you choose to split food with your guests, make sure that everyone notes any allergy risks in their dishes.

Image via Pixabay.com

You’ll be the best party host on the block if you make all your guests feel at-home and included!

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