If you are a football fan then you have probably imagined watching football matches with your kids. It is a favourite Saturday afternoon for many and we are sharing our top tips for watching football matches with kids.
A post-war Birmingham would see my grandad being taken home to Villa Park by his brother-in-law. He was the youngest of the family but tagged along to stand and watch the football. As such Villa is the family team with my brother and now my son as ardent fans.
Dylan first went to a game when he was about 8 and he loves it all. From the fun in the family area before the game to browsing in the shop and buying his program where he can analyze statistics and record the scores. Therefore when I have an envelope dropped through the door with the FA stamped upon it I knew I should let him open it!
The FA Cup is still magical with many surprises along the way and Villa hasn’t exactly had a great season so the FA Cup is a blaze of glory compared with the league at the moment! Dylan had high hopes for the game especially as Villa had beaten West Brom in the week.
Villa always has a great family atmosphere and before the game, there are often family activities in one of the tents. This includes penalty shootouts, photo opportunities, face painting, and so on. Dylan was impressed to bag himself some free match attax cards and an activity book with some games in that kept him occupied during halftime. We have always found the ground staff and support staff really welcoming and friendly.
The match went Dylan’s way with the Villa winning which heard my son joining in with the chanting ‘we’re on our way to Wembley’!
My tips for watching football matches with young kids
1. Wrap them up warm. I know from personal experience just how cold it can be in the stands, especially late kick offs. remember you are sitting still for quite a while.
2. Plan to arrive before the game and enjoy the family activities on offer as there is often lots going on in the stadium to make it an enjoyable afternoon.
3. Take some snacks, Dyl often takes a sandwich and crisps with him, although he is partial to chips and hot chocolate at halftime!
4. Do expect some bad language to be heard – if this isn’t your thing maybe wait until the child is older. We just used to laugh off the language and Dyl knows that what he hears isn’t how we talk. he now finds it really funny if he is sitting next to a very vocal supporter!
5. Don’t expect young children to concentrate on the whole game. The first few times Dylan was at a match he was easily distracted by everything and wanted to see everything.
We would like to thank the FA CUP for the tickets.
9 Responses
A great post, and some really good tips since I know my brother is wanting to take my eldest to a Newcastle United match soon.
Great tips! Sophie is going with Daddy to her first football match in April and I know she will love it.
i must admit the language really puts me off. I’m no prude but I can’t stand people who don’t tone it down at least a little when there are children nearby. That said the Bug loves going so I guess it’s just a question of teaching him that it’s not normal to speak like that
I used to go to the Villa when I was younger and what a great game for him to go to this season!!
Wow a really insightful post Emma, none of mine like football and me and my husband hate it so I supect they will miss out in this area! Mich x
Sounds like a fab day out for you. I’m really on the fence about football matches. Because the boys were at a local school we had a couple of opportunities to go to Villa Park pretty much for free but even though I know it’s one of the more ‘family friendly’ clubs I just can’t shake the feeling that it’s not a safe enough environment while the boys are very young. Incidents like we saw this weekend make me even more nervous. I’d love to go when the boys are a bit older and I hope the clubs keep up the efforts they’re making to improve things.
Yay, I am a Villa fan too. Sadly it is too far for us to travel now but my husband is an Exeter City fan so I guess we will be heading there soon. I have wondered when it might be a good time to bring The Boy. I think he is still probably a bit too young (4). You are so right about wrapping up warm. I have been freezing many a time at Villa Park.
Fab tips – I think it is nearly time for Harry to enjoy his first match 🙂
Great tips Emma. My eldest is going to his first game this weekend, I will be sure to wrap him up and prepare hubby to shield his ears from bad language!