Ideas for Hosting a Youth Football Game

Youth football is designed to teach kids about the game, how it is played and sportsmanship principles about competition. Some places have thriving youth football programs, while other smaller towns find it hard to field or host a team. If you have not hosted youth football in your town before, you want to make sure the experience is both rewarding for the players and beneficial for the town or municipality where the kids are playing.

  1. Under the Lights

    • Many youth football games are played on Saturday mornings throughout the country. You can add a little extra magic to the event by hosting the youth football game at night under the lights. Players, coaches, parents and fans will participate and watch the game as if it were the big high school, college or professional game of the week. This also gives parents who work different schedules the chance to see the game if they have other commitments on Saturday. The high school might have the field certain Friday nights, so obtain the schedule from the local school system and plan your youth football event around what already has been scheduled.

    Raffle

    • A 50-50 raffle makes some money for people in the audience while at the same time benefiting the municipality or group that is hosting the event. Sell tickets through the first three quarters of the game, including halftime. A standard price point is $1 per ticket or $5 for six tickets. During the fourth quarter, instruct the announcer to pull the winning ticket out of a hat. The holder of the winning ticket receives half the money, while the town, program or municipality receives the other.

    Concession Stand

    • Football games are ripe for selling concessions and products. Open a concession stand to sell hot and cold beverages, prepackaged snacks and some hot food that is easily manageable, such as hot dogs and microwave pizzas. You can also sell seat cushions, blankets, sweatshirts and hand warmers. The money that you make can go to the municipality or program as well.

    Halftime Show

    • While the players are in the locker room at halftime, people in the stands have 15 or 20 minutes to kill. If the town has a cheerleading program, invite the cheerleaders to perform a cheer or dance routine during that time. If the town does not, invite a local dance class to perform at the event. It will entertain the crowd while at the same time giving the youth dancing group a chance to perform in front of people.

    Record the Game

    • Recording equipment has come a long way since the days of the early 1980s with the giant VCR/recording combo machines. Set up a couple of cameras in the press box to record the action. One camera should provide the wide shot of the entire play, while another should follow the football at close range. After the game, hire a local student to edit the footage. During the game, you can sell the recording of the game for a price you see fit. The video can then be burned to a DVD or sent via email to the people who bought a copy within a few days.