Begin with an invitation that will bowl over your guests. Write your party details on a piece of paper and attach to the back of football trading cards. Or, photocopy part of the sports page from the newspaper or a sports magazine. Write your party details in one of the columns. Ask guests to dress in their team colors.
Create a centerpiece: Place a bunch of pennants in a foam ball and place the ball inside a football helmet. Add crushed soda cans and trading cards to your centerpiece.
Use football T-shirts, jerseys, jackets or sweatshirts as a buffet table covering. Or decorate your table with green felt or Astroturf and white tape as yard lines. Use wooden dowels for goal posts. Making pigskin placemats scores a touchdown at any party.
Decorate the room with your favorite team colors using crepe paper streamer football Mylar balloons. Hang a football piñata. Play Sports Rock and Jams CD or Cassette. Hang football posters and pennants in your party room. You can create team pennants from colored card stock and attach to wooden sticks.
Transform your room into a Super Bowl stadium. Rent some bleachers or simulate bleacher seats with folding chairs arranged in a semi circle. Or arrange your furniture in the same fashion. Place goal posts at each end of the room. Got a tiny TV set? Surprise your guests with a large screen television. Many electronic stores will rent them for the big game.
As your guests arrive pin the name of a football player or coach on the backs of guests as they arrive. Guests have to guess who they are by asking questions of others. Award gag prizes to the first 2 people who guess correctly.
Design a raffle in which guests record their answers before the game's kickoff. Charge everyone a minimal fee and award a cash prize to the guest who answers the most questions correctly. Questions could include: First player to score, First team to score, First second and third quarter scores, Team leading at half time, Winner of the game.
Hang a Football piñata and let the kids break it.
Make sure you have some activities for the Football widows. They can discuss favorite books they have read or view a movie in another room.
For the food portion of the evening, why not ask your guests to prepare and bring their favorite chili recipe and have a chili fest. Give an award for the best tasting chili. Or you could even provide the recipes for them to make.
