Soccer Party Games for Indoors and Out

Soccer Party Games for Indoors and Out

Kick-off your soccer party with some fun games. The first game works for any indoor party, especially one with a sports or soccer theme. It's also fun for a winter or holiday party. In that case, just call it "Snowball Soccer." Plus, see below for more soccer-themed party games.

How to Play an Indoor Soccer Party Game

This is an easy game that will take 15 to 20 minutes. The object of the game is to get as many balls into your own goal as possible.

  1. Make the soccer balls: Just crumple up some plain paper. You can also use wrapping paper from birthday or holiday gifts. For "snowball soccer," you'll want to use white paper. Make two or three balls for every player.
  2. Clear some floor space for a playing area—as much as you can.
  3. Designate goals. You can use a real, undersized net if you have one, set up a large box on its side, or mark off a space with tape or cones. Place the goals at either end of the playing area.
  4. Divide players into two teams. You can also make more teams if you have room for more goals. Or, have kids play as individuals, tournament-style.
  5. Scatter the balls around the floor or yard.
  6. Play to get the balls into the goals. There are no goalies.
  7. Play until all the balls are in the goals, or set a time limit. If players are fighting over the last few balls, incorporate a time limit with an element of surprise. Stop the timer when there are two or three balls left.
  8. Determine in advance if you'll enforce a penalty for players who touch the ball with their hands. This could be a brief timeout, sitting out the rest of the match, or (best for encouraging activity) performing a physical activity, like jumping jacks or knee raises, in order to be freed from the penalty box.

Balloon Variation: Instead of crumpled paper balls, use balloons (white ones for winter/holiday parties, colored ones for other themes). To make the game less competitive, designate a color for each goal and have players work together to get balls of the same color into the matching goal.

More Soccer-Inspired Party Games

You can use these variations for your party.

  • Dribble Relay: Set up small cones or plastic cups in a zig-zag pattern. Divide players into two equal teams and have them stand on opposite ends of the yard or playing area. Give one person from each team a soccer ball. To begin, the team member with the ball has to dribble around each cone to the other side, tag a teammate, and pass him or her the ball. Then, the teammate has to dribble the ball back through the cones and race to the other end of the field. Just like other relay races, the game is over and the winner determined once all players from one team have completed the course.
  • Kick-out Keep-away: Except for "It," give all players a soccer ball or rubber playground ball. Set up four cones or cups on each corner of your playing area to create a field. When the game begins, all players dribble their balls anywhere on the field. Meanwhile, "It" tries to kick each ball out of bounds. When a player’s ball is kicked out of bounds, he is eliminated. The last player with a ball wins. Alternatively, come up with a variation that keeps eliminated players moving. They could all join the "It" team and try to kick away balls that are still in play. They could take a quick lap of the playing field for the chance to re-enter the game. Or, as in dodgeball, you could call for periodic "jailbreaks" to allow eliminated players back onto the field.
  • Yellow Card Freeze Tag: Young soccer players will know that committing a foul on the field can get you a "yellow card" from the referee. In this game, one player starts out as the ref and is armed with a pack of yellow sticky notes. The other players line up at one end of the playing area and run toward the other end and then back, trying to avoid getting tagged with a yellow card. If anyone gets two yellow cards, he or she becomes the next ref.

Source: https://www.verywellfamily.com

 

Back to blog

Leave a comment