Defining Your Event Goals
Before you book a venue or order kit, get clear on what the event is meant to achieve. Is it a private birthday party for 12 children? A corporate team-building afternoon for 40 colleagues? A community fête with bubble football as one of several attractions? A charity fundraiser where you need to sell tickets and maximise the take? Each scenario shapes your decisions on venue, suit numbers, staffing, scheduling and promotion. Write down your goal, target audience, rough budget and ideal date range — that brief will steer every decision that follows and keep the scope under control.
Choosing the Right Venue
Bubble football is remarkably flexible about venues. Outdoors you have park pitches, school playing fields, beach volleyball courts on firm sand and private gardens. Indoors, sports halls, village and community centres and warehouse spaces all work. The requirements are simple: a flat surface free of sharp objects, minimum dimensions of 20 × 15 metres per pitch and at least 3 metres of overhead clearance indoors. For outdoor events in the British climate, have a wet-weather plan — either an indoor alternative or a rain date. Check availability, hire cost, access for equipment delivery (you will be bringing bags of deflated suits and an electric pump) and how close the venue is to parking and public transport.
Equipment Quantities and Logistics
Work out suit numbers from your expected turnout and format. A five-a-side match needs ten suits plus two spares. If you are running a tournament with back-to-back games, twelve suits per pitch is ideal, allowing for rotation and pressure checks between matches. You will also want portable goals (two per pitch), a ball, cones for marking out, an electric air pump and a basic first-aid kit. If you are hiring the kit in, confirm the delivery time and check the supplier is providing a pump and repair kit. If you are using your own Bubble Allstars equipment, work through the pre-event maintenance checklist in our Safety Tips & Maintenance guide at least 48 hours beforehand.
Scheduling and Format Design
Build your schedule around short, high-energy matches. Six-minute halves with two-minute breaks work well for adults; four-minute halves suit children better. For a two-hour event with 20 participants, a four-team round-robin (six matches) plus a final and a fun-game slot fills the time neatly. Allow 15 minutes for a briefing and warm-up at the start and 15 minutes at the end for cool-down and socialising. Always build in buffer time, because matches rarely start exactly on schedule. For a public event, stagger registration into time slots to manage the flow of people. For format inspiration, see the variations section in our Bubble Football Rules guide.
Staffing and Roles
Even a small event benefits from clear roles. At minimum you need one referee per pitch (to enforce the rules and keep things safe), an event coordinator (to run the schedule, handle registrations and troubleshoot) and an equipment manager (to inflate, inspect and rotate suits between matches). For larger events, add a first-aider, a photographer or videographer and someone on the registration desk. If you are hiring the kit in, check whether a trained facilitator comes with it — many Bubble Allstars hire partners include this. Volunteers from local sports clubs or student unions are excellent, low-cost staffing for community events.
Promotion and Ticket Sales
For public and fundraising events, promotion is the difference between a packed pitch and an empty one. Start at least four weeks out. Put up a simple event page (Facebook Events, Eventbrite or your own website) with the essentials: date, time, location, price, what to wear and what is provided. Use active language and a strong hero image — Bubble Allstars supplies high-resolution promotional photos free of charge to equipment customers. Share across social media, local community boards and school newsletters. Offer early-bird pricing to drive the first wave of sign-ups, and encourage attendees to post their photos and videos afterwards to build momentum for the next one.
Day-of-Event Checklist
Get to the venue at least 60 minutes before the first participants. Inspect and prepare the playing surface, clearing debris and marking the boundaries. Inflate every suit and check each for correct pressure and harness function. Set up goals, position cones, put out any signage and test the PA if you are using one. Confirm every member of staff knows their role. As participants arrive, run a five-minute safety briefing covering the rules, how to fall safely (tuck and roll) and the signal to stop play. Take a group photo before the first match — everyone looks great in a suit. During the event, keep an eye on pressure between matches and swap out any suit that feels soft.
Post-Event Follow-Up
After the final whistle, deflate and inspect every suit. Note any repairs needed and log them so they are dealt with before the next event. Wipe each suit down with a damp cloth and mild soap, then dry thoroughly before packing away. Send a thank-you message to all participants within 24 hours with a link to the photos and a short feedback survey. If you sold tickets, reconcile income and costs while the numbers are fresh. Use the feedback to improve the next one. If this is the start of a regular series, set up a mailing list so past attendees hear about future dates first. And if you need more suits or replacement parts before the next event, Bubble Allstars turns repeat orders around quickly.
Frequently asked questions
How many bubble football suits do I need for an event?
Plan twelve suits per pitch: ten for a five-a-side match and two spares for rotation, punctures and pressure checks between games. For larger events, run several pitches in parallel rather than making the teams bigger.
How much space does a bubble football event need?
At least 20 × 15 m of flat, obstacle-free ground per pitch, plus room around it for spectators, breaks and equipment. Indoors you need a ceiling height of at least 3 m. Always have a wet-weather backup for outdoor events.
How early should I set up before the event?
Arrive at least 60 minutes before the first participants. With an electric pump each suit takes about 60–90 seconds, so a set of twelve is ready in under 20 minutes, which leaves time to clear the surface, mark the pitch, set up the goals and brief your staff.
Who do I need on site?
At minimum one referee per pitch, one event coordinator and one person in charge of the equipment. Larger events add a first-aider, a photographer and someone at registration. Volunteers from local sports clubs or student groups work well for community events.