I don’t know about you, but if they had offered this class in college, I would have been first in line to take it!

With football season upon us it is time to dust off that grill, get out the cooler and prepare to cheer on your team at games.  You might think, “I could never do all the planning and effort to pull off a great tailgate,” but a little planning goes a long way.  Below are proven and simple steps to throwing a great tailgate!

• Choose the day and time of your tailgate: Football is on many days and at different times, so pick a day and time that works best with your schedule and preferably a day that you can rest and clean up the day after your tailgate. Tailgates should start approximately 3-4 hours prior to kickoff. Just enough time to cook, eat and socialize before the game.
  
  
• Get your decorations: Pick your team colors and run with that! This is the perfect time to overdo it with decorations; table cloths, cups, plates, utensils, chairs, table top decorations, hats, etc… go all out! Your guests will love seeing items they may have not seen before.
  
  
• Lists: The best way to stay organized and make sure you do not forget anything is to write a list of everything you need, from a radio to napkins and the grill! Yes, even major things like chairs or ice should be on the list. Sometimes in the excitement of the day you can forget just about anything.
  
  
• Games: You may have walked by some tailgates and seen golf balls tied to strings (ladder golf), bean bags being tossed onto wood with a hole in it (bean bag toss or corn hole) or people rolling different colored balls in the grass (bocce ball). I promise it is fun and there is a point to everyone’s madness! Tailgating/Outdoor games help your guests have fun, foster that competitive spirit we all love in sports and help your guests get to know one another.
  
  
• Food: Perhaps one of the most important things about a tailgate, the food! Your food should match the season, location and environment. For example, if you’re outdoors early in the fall and tailgating from your truck or SUV then try grilled chicken wings. If it’s a game late in the fall in Louisiana, consider jambalaya. Be creative and fun with your food. Do something other than hamburgers and hot dogs!
  
  
• Drinks: Be original with either drink choices or drink presentation. This is the time to create fun colored punches to match your team colors or to use that old bucket as an open cooler for easy access to drinks. Bring fun koozies to hold canned drinks and make sure to have lots of ice.
  
  
• Day before the tailgate: Do as much as you can to prepare for your tailgate. If you are driving to a tailgating spot, pack the car the night before. If you are hosting it at your house set up as much as you can before your guests arrive.
  
  
• Day of the tailgate: The day is here! The excitement is in the air, it’s GAME DAY! Get dressed in your team gear and double-check your list to make sure you have everything you need. Setup one hour prior to your guest arriving. You want to be able to enjoy the tailgate with your guests. Make sure everyone is greeted and introduced to people they may have not met before. Once that is done, it is time to have fun!
  
  

No matter what team you support there is always one thing I have found that brings fans together, a good tailgate. There is no way to mess up a tailgate so just get out there and show support for your team!