Get into the international spirit of the 2010 World Cup Finals and even guests who don’t like football will have a great time!
If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. Whether you have your own season ticket and take your kids to see the local football team win, lose or draw, or you only know how to tell the difference between Wayne Rooney and John Terry thanks to pictures in celeb magazines, there’s nothing quite like a sports tournament to get everyone going. Watching a live football match on TV with friends and family is like gathering on the sofa for a royal wedding – and it’s the perfect excuse to throw a fun and inexpensive party…
Get the party started
• Make sure you clear out the main room with the TV in and add cushions, chairs and extra seats so you can invite more mates round than usual – the crowd atmosphere is essential!
• Invite everyone round about an hour before kick-off so there’s a real buzz by the time the game begins.
• Before the game, let everyone relax – have a football quiz, set a treasure trail around the garden for the kids (hide little chocolate footballs), play music rather than watching the pundits making their predictions.
Kick-off!
• Create at least two different spaces – the room where the game is being watched and another space where friends who aren’t so interested in the game (maybe they’ve tagged along with their kids) can come and chill-out.
• If the weather’s good, throw open the doors and have the paddling pool out (good for soothing mums’ feet as much as a place for little ones to get very wet), and leave some other outdoor games ready for anyone who fancies a runaround. You’ll find that after about 40 minutes, football-loving eight-year-olds tend to wander away from the TV to kick a ball around themselves, so it’s preferable if they can leave the ardent game-watchers in peace!
• If the weather’s bad, keep the sporting spirit alive by setting up some board games in a different room and challenge your non-footy guests to play each other for competitive glory.
Half time
• Get your food ready for half-time – preferably finger foods that won’t make a mess of your lounge if they’re hurriedly trailed back in front of the TV after a 15-minuute break.
• Theme your food according to the match – mini toad-in-the-holes versus hot dogs for England vs USA; baguettes versus tacos for France vs Mexico!
• Pin a large piece of paper up in the hall or kitchen and get everyone to write up their predictions for final score, next scorer etc. The winner gets a bag of sweeties!
Full time
• Bring the two groups together – this is your chance for your spectators and your soccer-avoiding guests to celebrate or commiserate as one!
• Depending on what time of day it is, use the second half of the game to get your barbecue fired up and serve a hearty supper so you can move your party into the garden.
• Be prepared for failure… if the result doesn’t go the way you were hoping it would, don’t be offended if your guests make a quick exit to indulge their gloom at home. But if you can, try to lure the footy fans into the kitchen or garden to join in other games – a rousing session of Tiddlywinks, Trivial Pursuit or Twister will lift the heaviest heart!