It’s one thing knowing you want to throw a football party – it’s quite another deciding exactly what that is going to entail. Give a bunch of primary school-age kids a ball and even the most scrupulously planned five-a-side session can descend pretty quickly into chaos.

That’s why the best football parties, like kids' football camps involve more than just a match. They’ll include fun games and activities that will keep the kids entertained and make sure all party guests are involved and having a great time!

Here are our top three games to play at a football party:

Football tennis

Football tennis is an excellent game that everyone can get involved in, but without the general chaos that can come with a small-sided game.

Essentially, it’s tennis without the rackets and with a football. Set up a net and a court and put together teams consisting of the number of players that you feel are suitable for the area they are going to be working in and the ability of those present.

This could be anywhere between two and five players – remember, they are going to want to be able to rally, so don’t make the teams so small that every time the ball comes over the net there is nobody to get to it.

The basic rules of tennis then apply. The ball can bounce once (or twice depending on the age of the group and ability), and players can take two touches to try and get it back over the net. You can adapt whatever scoring system you like, whether it be following in tennis shoes or a first to win 10 points wins the game.

We recommend having two or three “stadiums” and hosting a tournament in which each team gets to play the other. You could also mix up the teams every few games to ensure everyone is still enjoying themselves and having fun.

Whichever way you choose to run it, football tennis is a great way to focus minds in a controlled environment.

Crossbar challenge

The crossbar challenge is something that has been going on for years, but it was brought into the mainstream as a regular feature of Sky One’s Soccer AM programme.

The premise is simple. A player stands a set distance away from the crossbar – for the professionals, they go from the halfway line, but you’ll undoubtedly want to be a little closer – and they have to hit the bar with a shot.

There are various ways in which you can introduce a competitive element to the crossbar challenge. You can start with everyone near the goal to make it easier. Those who manage to hit the crossbar progress to the next round, those who miss are out or stay at the first point.

The next round then moves further away from the goal. This carries on until you reach a final two, with the winner being the player out of those who strike the bar first.

If you’re worried about everyone staying involved, then we recommend keeping every child at the same distance and giving each player 3 goes. This way it becomes a best of 3 and no one needs to sit out or miss their turn.

Penalty shoot-out competition

Penalty shoot-out. Three little words that have England fans of a certain generation breaking out in a cold sweat at their mere mention. But not kids these days. Whether you’ve got kids who want to be the goalkeeper hero like Jordan Pickford or score the winner to book a spot in the last eight of the World Cup like Eric Dier, a penalty shootout can be great fun for everyone.

It’s easy to set up, too. Everyone takes a penalty and when they’ve missed, they are out of the competition. The last player standing is crowned the penalty shoot-out king or queen. Who knows, it could be the start of a career that culminates with the winning penalty in the 2030 World Cup Final.

For more party ideas or if you are interested in getting an experienced coach to run the football birthday celebrations, contact We Make Footballers today.