Share your top tips for throwing a great football-themed party - chance to win a £100 Lidl voucher! NOW CLOSED!

[AaronMumsnet]

Summer is finally here, and the football season is in full swing. Whether you’re celebrating your team’s big game, or you have a mini football fan on your hands who wants nothing more than for Ronaldo to be the guest of honour at their birthday party (gulp), you need to be organised to make sure you don’t score an own-goal. Who better then, than Mumsnetters to provide some play-by-play hints and tips to make sure your football-themed party gets the crowd roaring?

What recipes do you turn to when you’ve got a crowd coming round? Is the World Cup a big deal in your house or just an excuse to get the barbecue out of retirement? Chargrilled chunks of meat not your thing? What summer dishes make your squad happy. Which games and activities keep you and your team entertained during balmy summer evenings?

Share your top tips with Lidl for throwing a great football party on the thread below and you will be entered into a prize draw where one lucky Mumsnetter will win £100 worth of Lidl vouchers (note the winner will be sent four £25 vouchers, one voucher can be redeemed per transaction).

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ

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buy a gazebo, great if it rains, great for shade if not!

I could think of nothing worse than a football themed party. I hate it! Give me tennis any day. Strawberries and Cream and lots of pimms

The best parties are those where everyone enjoys each other's company. With football it can be tricky as not everyone's a fan.
My tip would be to have lots of finger foods and snacks, (The chaps aren't going to want to do the BBQ if the game's on!) that don't take much last minute attention.

Flags of the world bunting, plenty of beer, wine, fruit juice, lots of salads, cheese, dips, and baguettes. Anyone who wants to watch tv indoors with bowls of popcorn, the rest of us out in the garden with hopefully good weather.

My tips are ask mums if they can come in PE kit rather than their team kit - saves comparing and competition in who has (and who has not got the latest kit). Keep a good selection of finger foods (carrot sticks and dips, crisps, little sandwiches, pouch drinks to avoid spillage) and of course the football birthday cake.

We are planning to have "make your own pizza" - with lots of brightly coloured ingredients which can be used to personalise the pizzas to different countries in the World Cup! ps) a print out showing all the team/country colours is a must! (maybe use as a tablecloth)

Good company is the most important bit!

I like the world cup but prefer womens football on the whole. My party tip is to fill a clean wheelbarrow with water and ice for putting drinks in.

World Cup coming up. I would have food from different countries participating at the time of the party.

Finger foods, but give everyone their own world cup football team to bring something from either a dish from that country like tapas from Spain or a play on a players name

My tip is easy to manage food, that does not take loads of cooking at different times. Pizza, potato wedges crisps and dips, nothing really ambitious. I tend to buy stuff in, so that I am not faffing round, all hot and bothered, while everyone else sits round enjoying themselves. :)

Get the kids involved, my son is football mad, he loves making football decorations using paper plates and painting black blocks on them to make them look like real footballs. Creativity is FUN, so saves buying banners, make them!