Watch one at home first?
A few things to point out and an honest answer on whether watching helps.
Read about watching with your childTaking a Child to Their First Football Match: Choose, Pack, Plan the Exit
Parent Play Style
A first match goes well when it is short, warm and a little bit boring.
This page helps you choose the match, pack the bag, handle the noise and plan the exit, so the day ends with a child who wants to come back.
For a child's first live match, choose a smaller, quieter game, pack for weather, snacks and noise, and plan to leave early if you need to. Decide the exit before you go, because a first match that ends while the child is still happy is worth more than the full ninety minutes. Stadium noise can be loud enough to matter for young ears, with RNID warning that repeated exposure to sounds of 85 dB or more can cause hearing loss. Check the club's own family page for ticket and entry rules, because they vary and no governing body sets them.
I took a child to a big game as a treat, a good hour of queuing before kick-off, and we left at half-time with cold hands and one very loud goal.
Choose before you buy
A First Live Football Match for Kids: Which Kind of Game?
The kind of match matters more than the team. A smaller crowd means less noise, a shorter walk in and an easier way out, and those three things decide whether a young child enjoys the day.
No source ranks match types or gives an age to start, so the table below is my own judgement, not a published rule.
| Kind of match | What suits a young child | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| A local or non-league game, or a women's match at a smaller ground | A smaller crowd, usually quieter, a short walk in and an easy exit. | A cold open stand and few facilities. |
| A lower-league ground | A real stadium atmosphere, if the child copes with a bigger crowd and more noise. | A long queue, a loud end of the ground and a harder exit. |
| A top-flight or international ground | Only a child who already loves the game and copes with crowds and noise. | The loudest, most crowded and hardest ground to leave. |
If you can, pick a daytime, weekend kick-off in decent weather. Daylight and dry seats make everything else easier.
It also helps to watch a match at home first, so the child already knows the names and the colours when they see them in real life.
Entry rules, bag rules and family areas differ from club to club, and no governing body sets them. Check the club's own family page before you buy.
Loud, close and long
Noise, Crowds and Seats: Tips for a Young Child at a Match
Tips for a football match with a young child often start with snacks. Start with the noise, because it is the part a child cannot tell you about until it hurts.
RNID's guide to how loud is too loud says repeated or long exposure to sounds of 85 dB or more can cause hearing loss, and gives a live concert at about 110 dB as an example. The CDC page on noise-induced hearing loss lists watching a sports game and cheering among the causes.
A US survey found about 8% of adults always used hearing protection at loud sports and entertainment events (CDC survey). It covers adults and mostly other sports, so it only shows that loud events are loud and few people protect their ears.
No figure for a UK football match turned up, so none is given here. Levels vary by ground and crowd. These steps are my own advice.
- Ear defenders or earmuffs made for children are an option. Try them on the child at home, not at the gate.
- Take them off in the quiet spells so the child can hear you.
- Sit away from the most vocal end of the ground.
- Pick an aisle or end seat near the exit and the toilets, and ask whether the club has a family area.
- Choose a view that standing fans will not block.
If your child uses a hearing aid or cochlear implant, start there before you book anything.
Light bag, warm child
What to Take to a Football Match With a Child: The Pack List
Keep the bag light, because you will be carrying it as well as the child at some point. Tick these off the night before.
- Warm, waterproof layers
- A hat and gloves
- A flask or water bottle
- Snacks the child already knows (check the club's bag policy first)
- Tissues or wipes
- A charged phone and your seat details
- Ear defenders, if you use them: RNID says repeated exposure to sounds of 85 dB or more can cause hearing loss, and no figure for a football ground is available, so see the noise section above
- A small quiet thing for the lull
I once packed a whole picnic and the steward made me bin half of it at the gate. What you can take differs by ground, so read the club's own page before you go.
For dressing a child for a cold stand, see dressing for cold. On a hot day, swap the layers for shade, water and a hat.
End it on a good note
Plan the Visit: Five Phases and an Early Exit
This plan is my own, not a published standard. The rule behind it is simple: leave while the child is still happy.
- 1
Before. Say what will happen: noise, a crowd and a long sit. Practise the walk if you can.
- 2
Getting in. Arrive early enough to miss the crush, and find the toilets before kick-off.
- 3
The first 20 minutes. Point at the ball, not the rules. A loud goal is the whole point.
- 4
Half-time. This is the best time to leave if the child is flagging, and the best time for food.
- 5
The exit. Agree your signal beforehand, such as "Shall we go and beat the queue?" For the ride home, read what to say after the match, and for staying calm yourself, the touchline advice.
A first match that ends while the child is still happy is worth more than the full ninety minutes. They will want to come back, and that is the real aim.
What is known and what is not
What the Sources Say, and Where They Stop
Repeated or long exposure to sounds of 85 dB or more can cause hearing loss, and a live concert is about 110 dB. That is RNID's guide to how loud is too loud.
Watching a sports game and cheering is among the noisy activities that can cause hearing loss. That is the CDC's page on noise-induced hearing loss.
Few adults protect their hearing at loud events. That is a CDC survey of 6,357 US adults from 2018.
These are hearing pages from a UK charity and a US health body and a US survey of adults. None measures a UK football ground, none is about children and none says how long a child can safely sit at a match. Everything else on this page is my own planning advice, and no governing body publishes advice on a first live match.
Quick answers
Common Questions About a First Football Match With a Child
What age should a child go to their first football match?
No source gives an age. It depends on the child, the ground and how long they can sit, so start with a smaller, quieter game.
Is a football match too loud for a child?
It can be. Repeated exposure to sounds of 85 dB or more can cause hearing loss (RNID), and sports games are listed among noisy activities (CDC). Ear defenders made for children are an option.
What should I take to a football match with a child?
Warm layers, a hat, gloves, a drink, familiar snacks (check the club's bag rules), tissues, your seat details and ear defenders if you use them.
Where should we sit?
Near an aisle, the exit and the toilets. Ask the club about a family area.
How long should we stay?
As long as the child is happy. Half-time is a good point to leave if they are flagging.
Which match is best for a first time?
A smaller, daytime game is my advice, though no source ranks match types.
Keep going
Where to Go From Here
Three places to go next, depending on what you need. Before the match, explaining corners and goal kicks is worth a read.
Child with a hearing device?
Noise, devices and play, with checks before you go.
Read about hearing devices and footballDressing for a cold stand?
Layers, warm hands and when to call it a day.
Read about cold-weather footballTonight's five minutes
Pick the match, pack the bag, plan the exit.
Choose a smaller game, check the club's family page for entry rules and decide your leaving signal before you set off.