What is the most efficient way to do these drop-offs / pick-ups?

[Mushroomwithaview]

Dh works at point A.
We live at point B, which is half way between point A and...
The football field at point C.

It takes Dh about 30 minutes to get home. It takes 20 minutes to drive to football, and 15 to drive home (traffic heavier on the way).

I get home at 5ish.
Dh gets home at 6 - 6.30ish
Dd has football from 6 - 7
Ds has football from 6.15 - 8.30

No need for anyone to stay while football training is going on, though the kids like it if we take an interest.

Last time, I took both kids to football training, then left them there and came home to get dinner on.
Dh stayed on the motorway and went straight to football from work - he dropped Dd home, and then pretty much turned around to go and get Ds.

What's the most efficient way to do it?

You take both stay until 7 bring D home
H goes straight to football from work stays until S is ready to come home

Then you both get to see a bit of football rather than just driving

You prep dinner ready for everyone return

I agree with @frozendaisy

Do you know anyone else who lives nearby and also does the football?

I'm always surprised how little lift sharing goes on these days.

I agree with @frozendaisy - ideal solution

Other option with the least amount of driving would be for you to take both DC and wait there and bring them both back at 8.30 and your DH makes dinner when he gets home from work so it's ready for you all. Downside is DD has to wait around for her brother and you have to wait there the whole time.

Yes, I don't really fancy hanging around for 2 and a half hours, especially when I'm only 15 minutes from home.

Maybe I should stay from 6 - 7, bring Dd home, Dh just goes home after work, then he pops back to get Ds later. Unfortunately he won't make dinner unless I plan it and leave careful instructions.

So I would probably drop both kids come home, husband collects daughter straight from work and comes home, one of you leaves at 8.15 to get son. Or you stay till dd finishes, dh goes straight from work and waits for son.

I'd suggest mixing it up I think.

So some weeks you can stay 6-7 and DH picks up DS later.
Some weeks you drop and run and DH goes and watches the end of the football.
some weeks you do it the way you do currently (although I'm not sure why a pick up at 7pm and a 15 minute journey home means DH basically has to go straight out again to get DS).

I would prep a quick meal for reaheating as needed between getting in form work and going off to football (or batch cook on another day).

And yes, I agree that I would investigate lift sharing with other parents.

This.
You drop them both at football, come home and get tea on.
DH drives straight from work to collect DD at 7, brings her back, and you all eat together (7.30 ish?)
Then at 8.10 one of you (doesn’t matter who, maybe take turns?) drives off to collect DS, brings him home and he eats his portion of tea.
Whoever stays home washes up and helps chivvy kids with whatever needs doing.

One thing you haven't mentioned is if there is anyone you can lift share with who is going in the same direction to football. When we have these situations with kids being dropped off for activities at all different times and balanced around the end of the work day, we often arrange with someone to do one direction and the other one to do the other direction with all the kids.

So for example, is there anyone leaving football at 7 who could bring your dd home, if you could take their dc for the start at 6? Then you each only need to go one time - you for the drop off, then home to do dinner, then dh for collection of ds at 8:30.

Alternatively, if this was us, I'd probably do the 6pm drop off, go home to sort dinner and things at home. Dh would do the 7pm pick up and come home, the three of us would have dinner. Then whoever was least busy in the evening would do the 8:30pm pick up while the other tidying up the kitchen and got the last dinner ready to be eaten.