Team Mama Idea: Adult Beverage Gift for Coaches

We had our end of season football banquet about a week and a half ago. It's hard to believe that this is the final one for No. 1. Four high school seasons came and went so quickly. 

As in years past, I took the lead on coordinating coaches gifts. I began as I always do by collecting money from the parents. I sent out an email asking for donations. I never specify an amount. The actual wording in my email states that "no amount is too little (or too much!)". I've found that this is the absolute best way to go about getting the most participation (and money!)

We've previously gifted our coaches personalized photo balls, framed photos signed by the players, shirts, and gift cards. I knew I wanted to do something different. Besides being unique, I also wanted it to be useful. So here's what I came up with!

A bottle of their favorite liquor, personalized glasses, and personalized coasters. Seriously, how cool of a gift is that?!?

Here is a close up of the glasses and coasters.

Both were purchased at HomeGoods. The etching and engraving were done by someone local.

On to the tags...

Because let's be honest, coaching a team during a pandemic is definitely deserving of a drink (or three!).

The coaches were so excited about their gifts. They absolutely loved them!

They also each received a gift card.

And our Head Coach was given this awesome signed frame.

It says "Behind every fearless player is a fearless coach who refused to let them be anything, but the best they can be." Inside of the word "coach" are team photos. This was another Etsy find.

Here are a few photos from the banquet. 

We had posters with baby photos of our Seniors and Coaches. (It was actually recycled from our Senior Banquet where we used it for a guessing game). So much fun!

And what would a banquet be without a little cake...

Or two?

I'll miss high school football... but I am looking forward to seeing my boy on the college field!

*** For more banquet and gift ideas click HERE and HERE. Don't forget to join the Confessions of a Sports Mama Facebook Group either!

Team Mama Idea: DIY Wooden Photo Collage Letters!

Senior Night for No.1 is next week!!! I can't believe it, mamas. Seems like he was just a Freshman yesterday. And a 55lb anklebiter two weeks ago. *sniff sniff*

Us Senior Mamas are getting together on Thursday for a craft night. We're making fatheads, posters, and these super cute wooden, photo collage letters!

I got the idea from Christina P., one of the awesome mamas in the Confessions of a Sports Mama Facebook Group. By the way, have you joined us yet?? It's a private group for Sports Moms to connect and ask questions, share ideas, victories and defeats. We're over 2,500 strong...and growing! Here is the photo she shared that I used as inspiration.

Her daughter made one for each of her teammates. How sweet is she?!

Want to make one (or 10!) yourself? Then just keep on reading!

What you'll need:

• Large wooden letter (we found ours at Michaels)
• Mod Podge (we went with the Matte finish)
• Foam Brush
• X-Acto knife
• Scissors
• Photos (I used a total of 12 4x4 photographs, however, every letter will be unique.)

What you do:

• Lay your photos out. You will notice that I printed way more than I needed. I wasn't sure how many I'd need, so I erred on the side of caution. 
• Place them on top of your letter, one by one, until it is covered and you are happy with their placement. Use your scissors to cut them down, if needed. Do not worry if there is some overhang; we will take care of that later.

• Once you are completely happy with the placement of the photos, glue them down using your foam brush and Mod Podge, one at a time. 
• Once the glue has dried (I waited an hour), flip the letter over and trim off any excess using your X-Acto knife.

• The final step is to seal the photos with a thin layer of your Mod Podge. I waited until the next day to do this step, just to be safe. You simply put a little on your foam brush and brush over the entire letter. Do not worry, it dries clear. I promise! This will ensure that your photos do not come up at the edges and will give you a nice matte finish. 

That's it! Super easy and super cute! I'm not even gonna lie. I got a tad bit emotional as I was looking through the photographs. I really cannot believe how fast it has all gone.

Youth sports; the days are long, but the years are short. Way. Too Short. Remember to enjoy each and every moment, Mama.

*** Check out these letters made by some of the Mamas in our Facebook group using the instructions above!

Shared by Beatriz C.

Shared by Stacey B.

Team Mama Idea: High School Football Banquet Ideas

No. 1's first year of high school football officially ended yesterday. Even though they haven't been in pads for over a month, the season doesn't officially end until the banquet. I was so excited that I was asked to help coordinate décor. You Sports Mamas already know that I'm all about that #pinterestlife!


The banquet was held in our school's cafeteria. Here's how we decorated the tables.

Each table got three napkins (in our school colors!) which we opened up and placed strategically. On top of the napkins, we sprinkled football themed confetti as well as candy.

But the stars of the show were without a doubt the centerpieces!

They were easy to make (I made 45 of them with the help of two of my fellow football mamas!) AND cost efficient! So what's in the middle you ask? Why a cheap roll of toilet paper, of course! I mean dollar store cheap. Genius, huh?!?


All you need to make them yourself is tissue paper, ribbon, pipe cleaners, pictures, and the TP. You begin by simply wrapping the roll in tissue paper and securing the top with the ribbon. The ribbon can be curled using a pair of scissors. You then stick a pipe cleaner in the middle and attach a photo to the top of it. I found that bending the top of the pipe cleaner helped tremendously with stability. That's it! And the best part of all is that the players can take them home afterwards!


We also made each team (Freshman, JV, and Varsity) a 20X30 photo collage poster.

The players weren't the only ones who had their faces put on posters...

The coaches did too! And not just any photos either... photos of them playing football ... in high school! Seriously, how cool is that?! It was definitely the highlight of the night! Players, parents, and even the coaches themselves took turns trying to figure out who was who. SO fun!


For dinner, we catered a simple, yet delicious barbeque menu. There was pulled pork, pulled chicken, baked beans, macaroni and cheese, and coleslaw. Yum! And what would a banquet be without cake, or cakes!

We decorated both ends of the dessert table with balloons using helmets as weights. I absolutely love how they looked!

For coaches gifts, I ordered each one a personalized t-shirt. It had the team picture on the front and their name on the back. Coach Hubby also made them all a DVD of our season highlights!

And we couldn't forget about our awesome managers! I found these beautiful orange roses at my local grocery store and it was love at first site.

I made a cute little bouquet for both of them with the leftover tissue paper and ribbon, and added a gift card and team photo to go along with it.

A great time was had by all.

My boy receiving the Coaches Award wasn't too bad either!

Until next season.


GO SPARTANS!!!






*** Check out these takes on the centerpieces made by some of the awesome mamas in our Confessions of a Sports Mama Facebook Group!

Photo shared by Mindy G.

Photo shared by Ashley K.