A Sunday afternoon tailgate – in your own home

Now that you have access to every professional football game on Sunday through your premium satellite television provider, make your house the spot for Sunday afternoon football parties. Provide an engaging experience for friends, neighbors, coworkers and relatives that is rivaled only by sitting in the stadium. Not only is this a great way to share a common passion among fellow football fans, it is also a way to build relationships with guests who would not normally come over for dinner or other entertainment.

The atmosphere
To accommodate a broader range of fans (and maybe even spur some friendly trash talk), consider devoting two rooms in your home to your football gathering. For example, many people have a den or sunroom separate from their living room that can be used to accommodate large groups of football enthusiasts who are interested in keeping up with more than one game throughout the day.

Though most football fans can enjoy a game through any medium, adding a few extra perks can give your guests a more pleasurable game watching experience:

Widescreen LED, LCD, or plasma television: Flat panel, high definition-ready digital monitors are cleaner looking, present a better picture quality, and offer a widescreen aspect ratio that more accurately reflects how we see as humans. If you are a football fan and don't have one already, you've probably thought about purchasing one. Luckily, most models have become relatively affordable when compared to the cost of older projection televisions. Give your guests a theater-like experience by partnering your digital satellite with a compatible television monitor.

High-definition (HD) picture: Without high-definition hardware and channel access, your beautiful television will render a rather unimpressive picture. Many satellite television providers offer packages with free HD hardware and channel access when you sign a contract. DIRECTV does, and you can often find great deals through DIRECTV dealers, such as www.directstartv.com. Add HD service to ensure that you get a crisp picture and a realistic color spectrum that will mimic the real life experience of being at a game.

Digital sound: While most flat panel televisions are more than capable of offering crisp sound, you can further optimize your home theater. Hooking a surround sound system equipped with a digital-optical sound output to your HD satellite receiver will be louder and more "game-like" and will also reflect nuances in the game environment that you would otherwise never hear thanks to digital encoding. In short, it's much more realistic and engaging for your guests and makes them feel like they are at the game.

The party stuff
Now that your guests' game viewing experience will be as realistic and exciting as possible, you may want to transform a simple football-watching affair into a fun social gathering. Provide them with the party fare and activities that make them want to stay throughout the evening for even more football.

Food and drink: Watching football requires nourishment. Try your hand at some end zone edibles and keep everyone satisfied throughout your afternoon gathering. Chicken wings, bratwursts, barbecue and nachos all make excellent choices for game day meals and snack sessions. Also, provide water and soft drinks to accommodate thirsty guests. If you choose, encourage guests to bring beer or wine to make the experience more of a tailgate-like affair.

Games: When halftime comes around, the fun does not have to stop. Keep a football on hand and gather everyone outdoors for a quick game of two-hand touch football before the second half kicks off. Or keep other outdoor games like bocce and cornhole on hand to keep the competitive spirit going during game breaks. Get outside and enjoy the autumn breeze.

Implementing the right setup for your home and providing the party elements to make it a fun social gathering will surely earn you a fun and fulfilling Sunday afternoon. Football is becoming more and more popular each year. There are few better ways to connect with friends, neighbors, coworkers and relatives than to share your common passion for one of America's favorite games.