How to Host a Women's Fantasy Football League!!

Photo Source: Angee's Eventions Pinterest

Only a few more days before football season officially begins for all of you fantasy football widows out there! Don’t miss out on the fun: Plan your own fantasy football league with the best of your girlfriends.

Remember the saying “If you can’t beat them, you may as well join them”? Well, why not?  Not only will it give you the perfect excuse to meet up with the girls more often, it may give you something to talk about with your other half besides kids, money, and what’s for dinner.

To start the season off in style, I’ve designed a party plan just for the occasion. A Fantasy Football Draft party can bring together players that are experienced, inexperienced and even clueless for some fun, friendship and laughter.

Setting and setup

There are only a few requirements for a football fantasy draft:  A big-screen TV if you actually plan on watching the games, a laptop for everyone to join the league on, wi-fi, which makes it a whole lot easier for your girlfriends to bring their laptops (the more laptops you have, the quicker the draft will go), a league name, a commissioner (person to be in charge of the league), and a team name. 

When talking to your girlfriends about the draft, you may want to encourage them to think of a league name for your whole group as well a team name for their individual team. It’s not always easy to come up with identity names on the fly.

There are two types of drafts to choose from, depending on your level of skill. For the girlfriends who are football pros, try the CBSSports Fantasy Football. After the commissioner creates the league, each of the teams can draft their picks. For the rookie girlfriends, try the CBS SportsGame Pick’em. In this draft, you decide which teams will win on a particular day. The more teams you pick to win correctly the more you points get in the season.

Invitations

There are many types of paper invitations out there in the shape of a football. For a more hands-on invitation, try a small rubber football from your local dollar store or like the one here from Oriental Trading. On the football you can write something like this in permanent ink:

We’re getting our game on

Thursday, September 9th

Please come join our

Fantasy Football League

7:30pm

RSVP:   Angee

You can easily mail the football in a large manila envelope.

Food and Drink

With all the drafting your hands will most likely be busy, so be sure to keep the food at a minimum. Short and sweet is always best. Start with a couple of fine brews to offer your guests. We suggest Sam Adams Cherry Wheat with a hint of tart cherry or Sierra Nevada Pale Ale with a hint of caramel.  Pair it with a chili bar with all the fixings. Some topping ideas include several different types of cheeses, shredded or cubed (Gruyere, mozzarella, sharp cheddar), cooked pasta (rotini or macaroni), chopped onions, sour cream, and tortilla chips. For the sweet tooth and a nice pairing to the beer and chili, add an assortment of chocolates ranging in dark to light.

Connecting Activities

If the girls are truly interested in watching a football game, start a football pool to add a little excitement and fun. In many places this is considered gambling if you play for money, so as an alternative you could play for scrumptious chocolates or bragging rights.

Football 101 – While the game is going on, have the football pro girlfriend

Photo Source: titansonline.com

explain the calls and what is going on. Don’t let football be a foreign language! Most NFL teams have a Women's Association and host a Football 101 crash course. If you are lucky enough (like I am) to live in a FOOTBALL CITY you and your girlfriends should consider taking this course. Just being knowledgeable about whats going on can make it more interesting. If the girls truly couldn’t care less about watching the game, but just want to hang out and do something fun, here are a few ideas:

Famous Football Movie Charades - Divide into teams and act out the names of these famous football movies, the team with the most points wins. See a complete list of movies here.

Football Word-Sense – On strips of paper, write football words and their definitions.  Each player draws a strip of paper and reads the word along with either the definition on the paper or the player’s made-up definition. Each player decides whether the definition is true or false and points are scored for the most correct. The one with the most points at the end of the game is the winner.  Here is a list of some  football lingo and definitions.

Party Favors

A football draft party truly requires no party favors. However if you must, send the girls home with a printed schedule of games to watch together; be sure to include date, time, and place in case someone else is hosting. You can easily add pictures of your group, laminate; add a magnet to the back. Voila! A picture- perfect favor. If time is of the essence, buy small cloth bags at your local dollar store and throw in some football-shaped chocolates, such as the ones featured here in the Everyday with Rachael Ray Magazine. Every girl needs some chocolate.

I hope you take the time to get together with your friends for some girl time, whether it’s to watch football, start your own fantasy league together or just hang out.

For more fun ideas, football inspired foods and activities check out my Pinterest board "Are You Ready For Some Football!"

If you’ve started your own Fantasy Football League or just have your own team, I would love to hear your thoughts about what makes it fun for you. Kick things off by leaving a comment!