Team Mama Idea: Prepping for Home Games

Yesterday was our home opener! And we WON!!! I love home games. More fans, no long drives across town, and all of the fun preparation that goes into it. Here's what I'm sure to do for our team before all home games:

• Make a banner. The boys absolutely love running through them. They're super easy and fun to make... especially when you have the extra hands. I always send out an email asking for volunteers, siblings are great help as well! All you need is banner paper (any light color will do) and art supplies. I usually print the slogan out. Some of my favorites are "One Team, One Dream" and "Teamwork Makes The Dream Work". Once the slogan is glued on, I like to handwrite each players name and jersey number around it. That's it! Oh yeah, I do perforate it in the middle a little bit...these are 80 and 90 pounders after all. We don't want them bouncing off the banner, ha!

• Host a post-practice tailgate. We like to "tailgate" following the final practice before our home games. It's a great way to bring the team together in a non-football setting. It also helps parents not have to worry about making/picking up dinner. We set up in whatever space we can find off of the field. Some of my favorite tailgate foods are pizza, hot dogs (did you know they could be cooked in the crockpot??), and chili. Of course these are simply the main dishes- I also send out a sign up sheet via SignUp Genius asking for volunteers for fruit, dessert, chips, drinks, and paper products. The players have a blast and so do the parents...especially when *mama drinks* are included. Click HERE for more tailgate tips!

• Prearrange for volunteers. Football is not a one man sport. It takes a village. Three people need to work the chains, someone needs to record the game, someone needs to bring halftime fruit, and someone needs to bring post-game snacks and drinks. This never changes. The more hands involved, the better. I send out an email at the beginning of the week, and have never not had enough volunteers.

• Send out a reminder email. If you use a type of team management site such as TeamSnap or Shutterfly, it will automatically be sent for you. They should include the date, location, time to arrive, uniform to be worn, and a  list of volunteers (fulfilled/needed). If you are using a touchdown jar, include a line reminding them to bring bills and loose change. Not sure what a touchdown jar is, read my blog post on it: Touchdown Jar! Who, What, Where, When, Why?

• Get a good night's rest. This one is critical. My hubby and I are always sure to get our boys to bed at a decent hour. Just like milk, rest does a body good.

What do you do to prep for home games? I'd love to hear about it!