It's that time again. The first week of football is always a holiday for me! It marks the beginning of 6 months watching and re-watching and reading about and obsessing over the greatest sport ever created. And in my humble opinion the best way to watch the game is at home with a big screen tv, plenty of delicious food and some friends and family. But planning and executing a successful football party can be daunting. Hopefully you have an invite to someone else party and can get get away with showing up with a appetizer or drinks and just enjoy the party with no stress. However, if you are hosting then this blog post is for you.
There's significant planning that goes into the hosting a great football party. I break it down into these categories. Entertainment, Food/drink, Seating/presentation and Extras. Now I’m not saying there’s only one way to watch football. I mean I’ve enjoyed football on a 12 inch black and white dial tv, (if any kids are reading this google it...who am I kidding there's no kids reading this), the radio even fantasy play by play. Whatever it took. I am not proud to say I have skipped weddings, parties, family get-togethers (sorry mom), in fact if you name a responsibility I have probably skipped it in the name of football. My priorities may be in the wrong order but you can’t tell me I don’t have them straight. Anyways, While there is a million ways to enjoy the greatest sport/game/idea/invention of human times, this is how I believe you can have the best party without spending a fortune.
Entertainment
Let's start with the obvious. You want as much screen as possible. There should be at least one high definition big screen. Such as a Samsung or LG 75” UHD TV (available at your local My Way Leases store). This TV will be the one with the volume entirely to loud and be located directly across from the kings throne, aka the recliner, but we’ll get to that later. Make sure seating is planned out so everyone has a good view of the game. And if you are having a larger get together make sure the game is on in multiple rooms.
Food
This is where you can really put your own touch on it. Some people do something different every year. Others have traditions. There are a few staples of big game food that are always a safe bet. Pizza and wings are the headliners. I like to save these for the halftime break as they are messier and heavier. In my opinion you can’t top appetizers for football parties. Small, light, easy to move around with and you can sample a bunch of different types of food. A good buffalo and taco dip are must-haves. Meatballs, potato skins, mozzarella sticks are other great appetizer choices. You will probably find out that you need to double your recipe after the first time when they both are gone within the first quarter. And always overcook. People will be eating and snacking all day. And worse comes to worse you have some amazing leftovers for the Monday night game. It’s also not a bad idea to always have pretzels and chips laying around as well as a vegetable tray with dip. As far as drinks BYOB is always a safe bet. But as for the non alcoholic drink and something other than soda, take a half gallon of orange sherbet ice cream and put it in a larger serving bowl and add 4 liters of ginger ale and let it melt a little. This is an incredibly delicious drink that both kids and adults will love.
Seating
It’s important to know how many people are coming so you can plan ahead and make sure that not only is there enough comfortable seating but that the seating is arranged so that people can watch the screen they want. If you have the room a sectional is great for seating a large number of people comfortably. The homeowner and party thrower will most likely be posted up in a recliner like the Darcy Black recliner in perfect line with the big screen TV. For bigger parties or extra seating I like to make sure my kitchen chairs are comfortable enough to sit in for a few hours if need be.
Extra
This is where you make your party stand out and have people asking you every week if you're having people over for the game. Some people like decorations, to each their own but that’s not me. I just like to make sure there is always something to do so even if the game is boring people have things to do. I like to have cornhole and pong set up outside. Always have a football around. Trust me, watching that much football will give you the itch to go play a quick game until you realize how old you are and decide to just throw the ball around. I have a TV set up in another room with a Playstation hooked up. Sometimes when your teams disappoint you there's nothing else to do but put some control in your hands and beat down on the AI or some poor soul who challenges you unaware of the consequences. I also like to host some friendly betting to make the games a little extra interesting. This provides a little extra trash talk and interaction throughout the day.
There is no perfect football party, but this is close. And it will not cost a fortune to put on. Especially if you have the same people coming over all the time and are willing to chip in. Remember football season is all but so long. Don’t let February come and you wonder where all your weekends full of football and pure bliss went. Make the most of these special days and enjoy them in the company of some great people in the perfect football environment.
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