10 Fun Ways to Celebrate Euro 2016 at Your Workplace

Hooray!!! Euro 2016 has arrived. (Whether you like it or not, I'm afraid!) So what are you and your employees doing to celebrate? If you've not got anything planned, it's definitely worth checking out this blog.

June 20, 2023

The day has arrived. UEFA Euro 2016 will kick off tonight (France v Romania 20:00).

Whether you like it or not, I’m afraid…

So how are you going to celebrate at your business?

As an HR rep and/or manager, this is the perfect excuse to organise some fun team-building activities and events to engage your employees and show them how much you appreciate their hard work.

You don’t want to miss out!

So, if you haven’t yet organised anything, here are 10 ideas on how to celebrate Euro 2016 at your company.

1. Watch the matches together.

You’ve probably already been approached by members of staff asking: “what do we do if the game’s on during the working day?”

There are a few reasons you might want to allow people to watch (some of) the matches at work…

  • If you don’t, you’re probably going to have a fair few unproductive members of staff during that time anyway (listening to the radio, streaming, texting etc.)
  • If you don’t, you could face a drop of morale in the office, especially if employees know that other companies are allowing the matches to be shown.
  • If you do, it will boost the office atmosphere! It works just the same as any other reward for your staff; they’ll see it as a sign that you respect/appreciate their hard work.

Warning: things can get a little bit difficult when it comes to choosing which games you should allow – for example, you may have English, Irish and Welsh supporters in your midst.

Remember to be fair on everyone, but perhaps think about limiting the number of teams/games a person can watch per week - during their working hours.

2. Set up a sweepstake.

You’ve got to do a cheeky little Euro sweepstake, right?

To jazz things up a bit you could even buy some little tiny flag miniatures for people to place on their desk – to show their allegiance loudly and proudly.

For details on how to set up an office sweepstake, click here.

3. Host a Euro 2016 themed office party.

If your company is famed for its in-office parties, then why not host a Euros-themed one?

Pick a match that people will definitely want to watch (perhaps England v Wales) and spend the afternoon/evening celebrating! You could include…

  • Face painting. (The flags of course).
  • Football-themed food. (Meatballs, gingerbread men, those little chocolate footballs).
  • Fancy dress. Get staff to wear their sweepstake team’s shirt (doesn’t need to be the latest/most expensive one, obviously – Sports Direct is a good bet for these).
  • A playlist of all those football anthems.
  • A ‘team picture’ to put out on social media. (Make sure you get the pose right).

What about your non-football fans?

I’m sure they’ll still enjoy a chance to chill out and mingle with everyone else. (Especially if there’s good food and booze on offer)!

If you're interested about setting up a non-football-related corporate event, then click here to check out some quirky and unique ideas!

4. Decorate your office.

Print off or purchase a Euro 16 wallchart so your office can follow the tournament and allow your staff to decorate with flags, posters and banners.

It should help to really get everyone into the spirit of things!

5. Go to the pub.

A lot of the games start at 17.00 – the perfect time for you and your staff to head out (a little early) and enjoy a couple of hours of football down the local.

Try and source somewhere relatively close so people can get home easily and preferably with a nice outdoor set up (how good is it, watching the football in the sun?!) unless it’s raining, obviously.

Oh and you might want to leave even earlier to make sure you get a good spot!

6. Buy sticker albums!

Remember the good old days when a sticker book and collection were your pride and joy?

I know, this sounds a bit childish, but it’s a fun way to bring back some great old memories and I can guarantee you’ll soon get hooked, hunting down swaps from your co-workers.

You could even offer a prize for the best collector!

Warning: these have definitely raised in price over the years… it actually costs an average of £374 to complete one now – and the best case scenario, without any duplicates, costs £68!

7. Start a football team.

While everyone’s in the spirit, it’s the perfect time to try and get an office football team (or two) together.

Why? It’s great for teambuilding, morale-boosting and building loyalty to your business.

Oh and it’s also great for the general wellbeing of the office – for more on this, click here.

8. Host a (less physical) Football Tournament.

Can’t persuade your staff to play a proper football match? Or struggling to find a venue?

You could opt for a slightly less-hassle, less-physical version of the game…

  • Table football. (You can hire a table out.)
  • FIFA (get someone to bring their Xbox or PS in).
  • Paper Flick football! (Get creative).

There are loads of football-related games you could play, without needing a pitch.

(Don’t forget the prizes…)

9. Organise a Charity Competition.

Why not host some sort of football-themed charity competition? For example:

  • Who can do the most keepie-uppies?
  • A Charity football match.
  • Beat the Goalie (using a real goal, or an inflatable one).

This is a great way to take advantage of the Euros and in the process, to do something worthwhile for a charity of your choice.

And doing good makes everyone feel great! Just check out this article.

10. Don’t neglect your non-football fans.

There will be people in your office who aren’t remotely interested in/ dislike/ openly detest football. Don’t neglect them!

If other staff members are getting football-related treats, try to think of alternatives…

  • You could set up a separate TV for people who aren’t interested in the football but would like to watch something else during the matches, like a film?
  • You could make your office party “Paris themed” rather than just football-related, with French snack, music and fancy-dress.
  • You could come up a different, quirky sticker book for non-football fans to collect. It’s all a bit silly, but good fun!
  • Start an alternative sports team too. Use the Euros as an excuse to find out what other activities and sports people might be interested in taking up.

It’s very important that no one feels ostracised or left out during this celebratory time.

Are YOU the non-football fan?

I know it can be a pain in the bum; spending a whole month listening to non-stop football speak.

But it really is a great opportunity for HR reps, managers and business owners, across the world.

Recruiter Pro Tip Taking advantage of celebratory events, like the Euros, will…
  • Show your appreciation.
  • Engage your employees.
  • Build stronger bonds between staff members.
  • Create a more fun, enthusiastic culture.
  • Improve productivity and creativity.
  • Boost motivation and inspiration.
  • Increase loyalty.
  • Improve overall interaction with customers.
All of which will of course, skyrocket your overall business! For more advice on this sort of thing, click here to check out our Staff Retention archives!

Or if you’d like to subscribe to this blog and receive more, light-hearted posts like this one, click here.

Enjoy the Euros everyone!

Coburg Banks - Multi-Sector Recruitment Agency
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