As the domestic football season winds down, fans are in for a treat with a bonus international tournament to savour this summer.
Euro 2020 could come a little too early for full attendances in stadiums, but it does give fans some respite from an awful actual 2020, with the postponed tournament set to take place around the continent. England will be playing out of Wembley for much of the competition, reflecting that wonderful summer of 1996.
So, could football finally be coming home? Maybe, but for many fans, it will also have to be enjoyed at home as locations slowly open once again. You might have watched England beat the Netherlands 4-1 together back in 1996, but this time out you may have to settle for a video call and some alternative fun.
If fans cannot get together to watch a game, then why not introduce some fun by having your own version of the popular game bingo, played with friends. The age-old numbers game might not sound like a perfect fit for football fans, but it really is if you do it well. What you will need is a video link with your friends, a game on the TV which you all watch from the same broadcaster, and an open mind to having a bit of fun.
The key is with you, as the organiser, preparing some fun bingo cards to play with. In their glossary of bingo terms, Cheeky Bingo outline how the card is the ticket you buy to play a game. In your version of Euro 2020 Bingo, the card will be created by you and passed around your friends or family. Instead of numbers and balls, you will have actions, instances and the like on your cards. Ideally, your cards will be a five-by-five grid, with perhaps 25 different outcomes. You do not have to fill every square, but there has to be enough to keep the game going beyond half time. That means you will need to come up with 40 or 50 to spread randomly across cards, so you can all play bingo.
For instance, if you plan to watch England play Scotland on June 11, you might have an eclectic mix of outcomes on your card. The obvious ones are things like ‘England goal’, ‘England yellow card’, or to boost the numbers specific players such as ‘Andrew Robertson booked’. You could easily get a good 15 or 20 out of just picking up on the action alone. Then, why not introduce a few fun ones. Maybe ‘Gazza goal from ’96 mentioned’ in commentary, or just ‘Colin Hendry commentary’. Both are likely to be talked about, but not guaranteed. Then you may choose ‘Scottish WAGS pictured in crowd’, or ‘Cola advert at the break’. Using something from halftime on every card, maybe a pundit catchphrase or advert featured, will ensure the game’s longevity. If you are watching the same broadcast, it will work.
Once you have enough outcomes, spread them out randomly across your bingo cards. We would recommend using Excel for the cards, and simply picking up maybe 20 per card, at random. Once you have enough cards, send them out to your friends and get ready for match day.
To add to the fun, you could offer a prize for the first full line, or all four corners, as some bingo halls do. Have a big prize for the winner too, maybe you all chip in for an England shirt, or something else attractive. It will soon take the focus away from the fact you might not be able to watch the game together at someone’s house, at least until a possible Wembley final. We are not sure if anything could take away the disappointment of favourites England making the final at Wembley, the first major final since 1966, and fans not being allowed in.
Not even Euro 2020 bingo.
