Whether you want to get active kids or adults together, you could host a soccer party. You don’t have to play soccer—although you will probably want to do some of the fun activities that we recommend below. Here are plenty of ideas for decorations, games, and food that will make a soccer party exciting.

1. Decide Where to Hold the Party

If the weather permits, you probably want to hold your soccer party outdoors. Having plenty of space available to kick balls around and play games is the best option. You don’t have to host the party in your backyard, though.

Find out if you can rent out a shelter at a local park. That way, you’ll have a covered area to protect you if it rains. You’ll also be able to take your activities out to a field if the weather is beautiful.

If you expect inclement weather, look into renting out a gymnasium or recreation center. A school or YMCA might be able to help you out. You can also contact your town’s Parks and Recreation department to find out what kinds of facilities might be available.

Some sports complexes allow you to rent out space in their facility. They might have extra soccer balls, nets, and jerseys available for you to rent as well.

2. Make Soccer Themed Invitations

If you’re sending out paper invitations, you have a lot of options when it comes to tailoring them to your theme. One idea is to make a puzzle that the recipient can put together. Cut a circle out of a white piece of paper, and cut out pentagons from black paper.

On the white circle, write, “Guess what kind of party [child’s name] is having?” The recipient will have to place the black pentagons on the white circle to find out the party theme.

You can also take a photo of your child wearing a soccer uniform. Use photo editing software to make it look like a soccer trading card. You could write something such as “MVP” on it.

Some phrases that you can use for a soccer party invitation include:

• Kick up the fun
• Kick-off [child’s name] birthday
• Let’s kick it
• Game time
• Birthday goals
• Come ready to compete
• Be an all-star
• Failure to RSVP may result in a yellow card
• Score big with [child’s name]

3. Print Out Some Decorations

When it comes to decorations, black, white, and green are the best colors to choose for a soccer party. The black and white represent the soccer ball, and the green represents the field. Think about using green tablecloths and accenting them with black-and-white checkerboard patterns.

You can use white tape on green tablecloths to mark the lines on the field and goals. Grab some black and white streamers to hang all over the space and make the atmosphere even more festive.

You can add interest to any of your decorations with free soccer party printables. Print out signs, cupcake toppers, and water bottle wrappers.

Glue the cupcake toppers together with a toothpick sticking out so that you can insert them into the desserts. Peel off the wrappers on disposable water bottles and replace them with the printouts. Set up signs that give instructions for different activities and identify the snacks that are available.

4. Gather the Food

While you don’t have to offer soccer-themed party food, it’s easy to put together some snacks and treats that go along with the motif. Anything round is reminiscent of a soccer ball.

You could have guests build their own English muffin pizzas. Put out all of the fixings, including tomato sauce, shredded cheese, pepperoni, chopped veggies, and cubed ham. If you really want to get fancy, you can cut the pepperoni into pentagons so that kids can make their pizza look like soccer balls.

Oreos work well as sweet snacks for a soccer-themed birthday party. They go with the black-and-white theme.

Provide plenty of beverage options, especially if you’ll be getting active outdoors. Sports drinks, such as Gatorade, are ideal for a soccer party. You can also offer juice boxes and water bottles.

There are plenty of recipes that you can incorporate into a soccer-themed party. One delicious option is cookies-and-cream popcorn.

To make it, you’ll need 5 cups of popped popcorn, 8 ounces of vanilla almond bark or white chocolate, and 14 Oreos with the icing scraped out from the center. Crush the Oreos by placing them in a plastic zipper bag and banging them with something substantial, such as a rolling pin. Put the crushed cookies into a large bowl with the popcorn.

Break up the white chocolate or almond bark and microwave it for 30 seconds at half power. Stir. Continue to microwave it at 30-second intervals until it’s completely melted. Pour it over the mixture of popcorn and Oreos, stirring with a spatula. Put the popcorn in the refrigerator to harden the white chocolate or almond bark.

You can also make easy soccer pops using Oreos. Insert a toothpick or lollipop stick into the icing. Then, pipe white icing onto the black circle to make it resemble a soccer ball.

5. Play Balloon Soccer

It’s fun to get outside and play a soccer match during a party. However, you might want to change things up a bit by playing unique games that people don’t often get to participate in.

For example, instead of playing soccer with a ball, consider using a balloon. A balloon is somewhat harder to control than a ball, but it moves more slowly and doesn’t travel as far with each kick. Kids will have a blast trying to control the balloon as it rises high into the air or goes in the opposite direction than they intended.

Set up two goals opposite one another. They don’t have to be too far away from each other. Divide the kids into teams and have each team try to kick the balloon into their goal. Of course, don’t let them use their hands.

6. Balloon Dribble Relay Races

You can have relay races with balloons or soccer balls. Divide the guests into as many teams as you’d like. Have them start at a cone on one side of the yard and dribble a ball or balloon to a cone on the other side.

When they get there, they should maneuver the ball around the cone and come back to the starting point. Then, the next player goes.

Make this a dizzy dribble race by having kids spin around with their head on a baseball bat before they head out. They’ll have trouble running in a straight line, which makes the race even more hilarious.

7. Kick Bowling

You can play a bowling game with full water bottles and soccer balls. Arrange the water bottles like bowling pins at one end of a field. Have kids stand behind a line at the other end and kick the ball to knock down the pins.

Each player should get two tries to knock all of the bowling pins down. At the end of the turn, add up the total number of overturned pins. To make things easier to score, give 25 points for a strike, which happens when you knock all of the pins down on the first try.

8. Head the Balloon

In soccer, you’re not allowed to use your hands to control the ball. However, you can use your head. Practicing this technique with a balloon is fun and teaches kids some useful soccer skills.

For this game, have guests work together to keep a balloon in the air. The only rule is that they can’t use any body part but their heads to touch the balloon.

Instead of making this a team activity, you could give each person their own balloon. The individual who keeps it afloat the longest using only their head wins a prize.

9. Yellow Card Tag

In soccer, referees can give players a yellow card for committing a foul or misconduct. If that happens, the player can remain in the match. However, if they receive two yellow cards in the same match, they must leave the game.

To play yellow card tag, assign one person to be the referee. This person is “it.” They must tag players by placing yellow sticky notes on them. When someone is tagged, they have to freeze. They can only move again if another player crawls under their legs.

Keep the yellow tags on the players. If they receive two in one game, they’re out. The last person standing gets to be the referee during the next match.

10. Soccer Ball Obstacle Course

An obstacle course is always enjoyable and keeps people busy during soccer parties. Set one up using objects that you might have in your garage and backyard.

Have kids dribble a soccer ball around the course. Encourage them to kick the balls through hula hoops and tunnels. They might have to dribble it around and under lawn furniture. If it’s warm out, have them dribble under a sprinkler or kick the ball down a slip and slide.

Some other ideas for a soccer ball obstacle course are:

• Kicking the ball up ramps
• Rolling the ball down a slide
• Maneuvering the ball slalom-style around cones
• Kicking the ball across a water hazard
• End with the ball in a goal

11. Soccer Noodle Croquet

You can make an easy croquet course with pool noodles. You don’t need mallets for this game because you’ll use your feet to kick the soccer ball.

Buy some hollow pool noodles and wooden dowels. Cut the dowels into 8-inch sections, and hammer them into the ground in pairs, about 12 inches apart. Then, place the noodles down on them in an arch shape.

Place them randomly around the yard, and have the game be part of the obstacle course. Alternatively, you can set the arches up in traditional croquet formation. Play the game according to the conventional rules of the game or make up your own.

12. Monkey in the Middle

The traditional monkey in the middle game involves two people standing opposite one another, with another in the center. The person between them has to try to capture the ball as it’s tossed or kicked from one person to another.

When you’re holding a party, though, you need to be able to include more people. Have all of the players stand in a circle. Choose one person to stand in the center. As the players in the circle kick the ball to someone across from them, the one in the middle should try to intercept the ball.

If the monkey in the middle captures the ball, they can enter the circle. The person who kicked the ball becomes the monkey in the middle.

13. Soccer Piñata

You can buy a soccer piñata for the party or make one using these simple DIY piñata instructions. This is a great craft for kids to help with. It might get them excited for the party and help them stay busy while they’re waiting for the big day.

Get the largest round balloon that you can find. Inflate it, and tie a knot to keep the air inside. Try not to inflate it too much. Stop when the balloon takes on a round shape and before it becomes an oval.

Tear several newspapers into strips that are approximately 1 x 2 inches wide. Set those aside.

Then, prepare your glue mixture by mixing one part water with two parts white glue. Cover a work area with a drop cloth, an old shower curtain, or large pieces of newspaper.

Dip a strip of newspaper into the glue mixture. Then, smooth it onto the balloon. Continue to do this until the entire balloon is covered. Leave an opening around the knot. Make sure that you overlap the newspaper strips. The more you overlap them, the stronger the piñata will be.

Once the first layer of newspaper strips dries, add another layer, using the same method. Wait until the piñata dries completely. This may take several hours or overnight.

When the piñata is dry, pop the balloon. Remove it from the piñata. If the shell caves in while you do this, insert a long pole, such as a broomstick, to push it back into shape. Decorate the piñata by painting it to look like a soccer ball.

Then, fill it with candy, favors, and small toys. Cover the open end with masking tape, attaching a long string to that end.

When it’s time to play, hang the piñata from a tree or pole. Ensure that the ball ends up just a few inches off of the ground. Instead of using a baseball bat to hit the piñata, blindfolded guests can kick it to try to break it.

14. Make Soccer Cards

Before the party, print out images of famous soccer players. Crop and cut them into the size of a sports card. Then, print out biographical information about each player. Make sure that it can fit on the back of the sports card.

Put all of the printed pieces out on a table with glue, glitter, markers, stickers, and other craft items. Have kids pair the players’ info and stats with their pictures and make their own cards.

You can also do this with images of the guests who come to the party. It would be fun to have kids match the pictures with their friends’ information, such as birthdays, ages, and favorite colors.

15. Have Everyone Sign a Ball

It’s fun for the party host to have a souvenir from the party. Buy a shiny new soccer ball, and place it in a central location during the party with several permanent markers. Have the guests sign the soccer ball.

To make this even more interesting, have everyone answer a question, such as:

• Who is your favorite soccer player?
• What was your favorite part of the party?
• What is your favorite sport?

16. Soccer Cakes

Even if you’re not having a birthday party, cakes are always a delicious dessert. Make cupcakes or a sheet cake, and decorate it with soccer-themed icing and toppings.

Cupcakes are easy because they’re already in the shape of a ball. You could use black and white icing to draw a soccer ball on the tops of the cupcakes. However, that’s not always easy. Instead, try using a special tip on your pastry bag to pipe green icing on top. Pull upward with the bag to make the icing look like grass. Then, insert a Nilla Wafer or Oreo into the icing. It will resemble a soccer ball.

If you want to make a soccer cake, you can make a round layer cake. Ice it with black and white frosting. You can make an easy soccer ball pattern on a flat surface by drawing a pentagon in the center of the circle. Extend a line from each corner of the pentagon to the outer edge of the circle. Draw a triangle where each of those lines meets the edge, bringing the point of the triangle to meet the line. Fill in the triangle with icing.

If you only have rectangular sheet pans, that’s ok. You can make an easy soccer field by coating the cake with green icing. Pipe white icing onto the cake to designate the lines on the field. Purchase small, plastic soccer goals to set up at each end of the cake. You might even try to find some small soccer player figurines to decorate the top of the cake.

17. Make Your Own Jersey

If kids are into doing crafts, you might want to have them make their own soccer jerseys. Buy blank jerseys or T-shirts in various colors. Set out fabric paints, paintbrushes, and iron-on numbers and letters.

Have the kids decorate their own jerseys. Don’t forget to paint or iron on a large number on the back. If you have iron-on letters, you can also write the kids’ last names on the backs of their shirts.

Consider doing this project at the beginning of the party. If you use fabric markers, they won’t take long to dry. The kids can wear their T-shirts while they play games so that they feel like official soccer stars.

18. Try These Indoor Soccer Games

Sometimes, the weather doesn’t cooperate, or you decide to hold your party indoors for whatever reason. You might still want to give the kids a chance to take part in an energetic activity. But how do you adapt a soccer game for playing inside?

Buy some small, soft soccer balls. You can use beach, stress, or foam balls to adapt a soccer game for indoors. In a pinch, you can even crumple up white paper and have kids play “snowball soccer” using those as balls and laundry baskets as goals.

If it’s in your budget, consider investing in a foosball table for the party. It would be a great gift for a birthday.

In a pinch, you can always play soccer video games. Using a system like Wii helps get the kids on their feet and gives them some exercise even if they’re stuck inside.

19. Send Home Party Favors

Don’t forget to give out awards! As part of the party favors that kids get to take home, include awards for:

• Most improved
• Most team spirit
• Best cooperation
• Top hustle
• MVP
• Most goals scored

If you used a photo of your child in their soccer uniform for the invitations, consider playing on the same theme for party favors or thank you cards. During the party, take photos of all of the guests with a soccer ball. Then, make a card for each guest that looks like a trading card. If all of the attendees are friends, you can send out a full pack as a thank-you gift.

Some other ideas for soccer party favors include:

• Whistles
• Soccer ball keychains
• Inflatable black-and-white beach balls
• Squirt bottles
• Soccer ball erasers
• Stress balls
• Rubber bracelets