How to Throw the Ultimate Fantasy Football Draft Party

With football season right around the corner, it’s almost time to put together your fantasy team! And what better way to celebrate the start of fantasy football than with the ultimate fantasy football draft party. We all know that the internet has made it a lot easier to run a fantasy football league these days, but an online draft is nothing compared to getting together with a group of friends while you aimlessly pick through a roster of pro-athletes, hoping to come out on top at the end of the season. Fantasy football has quickly become one of the most popular activity to do amongst friends during the football season. It’s a great way to engage with friends while being competitive at the same time. The best part is, the winner sometimes comes down to just plain luck. Players get injured or don’t perform well, and sometimes that guy that nobody wanted ends up blowing away all expectations. Fantasy football is a great excuse to hang out with friends every Sunday while cheering on your favorite teams and/or players, but it all starts with the draft.

How to Throw a Fantasy Football Draft Party

When it comes to throwing the ultimate fantasy football draft party, there are a few things you need to keep in mind. Whether you’re hosting at your home or at a bar, you want to make sure that everyone is comfortable, fed, and having a great time. So let’s take a look at a few things you can do to ensure that your fantasy football draft party is on point.

1. Solid Wi-Fi / Internet Connection

The backbone to any fantasy football draft is the internet connection, specifically your wi-fi. In most cases, the device that your friends are going to be using to participate in the draft aren’t going to have wired internet connections, so this means that a good quality wi-fi signal is imperative. You don’t want the wi-fi going down in the middle of someone’s pick, causing them to miss out on the player they really wanted to pick up… that could lead to some nasty arguments. Be sure that you test out your wi-fi signal strength in all areas of your home where people may sit to participate in the draft. Make sure you limit video streaming services while the draft is going on, and if you really want to take things seriously, make sure your cable modem and wi-fi router are hooked up to a battery backup in case of a power outage. I know the threat of a power outage is going to be pretty rare, but it’s better to be safe than sorry. In addition to testing out the wi-fi, making signs with the wi-fi network name and password, and hanging them around the draft area, is a great way to avoid having to tell people that information over and over again.

2. Food and Drinks

Good food and an ample amount of drinks is the key to any good party, but when it comes to a fantasy football draft party there are a few things that you should take into consideration. When figuring out what sort of food to serve your guests, the first thing you should do is plan out when you’re going to have the actual draft in relation to when you’re telling your guests to arrive. We suggest having your guests arrive about 30 minutes before the scheduled draft time so that everyone can get their computers setup and get settled. Once the draft is completed, allow for ample time for everyone to hang out and enjoy the company. During the draft, finger foods, appetizers, and snacks are the best option, while saving the entrees for after the draft has concluded. Doing this allows for people to grab a small plate of food to eat while they are participating in the draft from their computer. Foods like cocktail meatballs, cheese and crackers, sausage, chips and dip, and fruit, are all great options to snack on while the draft is running. Once the draft is completed it should be time to fire up the grill and get the burgers, chicken, hot dogs, brats, and other larger dishes ready to go. While the draft itself is always fun, the real party starts once the draft is over and everyone knows their teams and the schedule.

3. Entertainment for Non-Participants

The fantasy football draft party doesn’t need to be just for those participating in the draft, it should be a family affair because let’s be honest, this is really just an excuse to get everyone together to hang out. For those not participating in the draft, make sure that there are things that they can do while the draft is running. Setup a cornhole game outside, have toys for the kids, pull out the old video game system and have a tournament of your own. Whatever you can do to keep the non-participants entertained while the draft is going on will ensure that the party is fun for everyone.

4. Go Rogue

Maybe you don’t want to deal with hosting the draft party at your house… in that case, contact your local bars or restaurants and see if they offer a fantasy football package. Places like Buffalo Wild Wings offer group packages and discounts if you host your draft party with them. This is a great way to host a draft party if you don’t have the space or just don’t want to deal with hosting and/or cooking for everyone. The one downside to having a bar or restaurant host your draft party is that you’re not at the mercy of their wi-fi. If they don’t have a great setup, or if it goes down halfway through the draft, you’re going to have some upset people. But if you really wanted to be safe about it, you could always setup a wi-fi hotspot of your own and run the draft off of that. Whatever you decided to do when it comes to your fantasy football draft party, the most important thing is to remember that it’s all in good fun… but trash talking is always encouraged.