Pre-match quizzes: getting people in before kick-off

Match days are great, once the match starts. The hour before is usually the problem. People time it to walk in as the teams come out, order in a rush, and the bar gets hammered for ten minutes.

A pre-match quiz gives people a reason to turn up earlier. That spreads the rush, gets an extra round in before kick-off and fills the pub sooner, which makes it look busier from the street.

Keep it about the club

The best pre-match questions are about the team people came to watch. Local fans know their club. A quiz that rewards that knowledge feels like it's for them.

Good question types:

Past results against today's opponents
Former players and managers
Grounds, nicknames and club history
Who scored the last goal in this fixture

Mix in a few about the opposition too, so it isn't too easy for the die-hards.

Keep it light. Nobody wants a question about a relegation season ten minutes before a big game.

Timing

Start the quiz around 45 minutes to an hour before kick-off, and finish before the build-up gets serious. That's long enough to get people in early, and short enough that the game is still the main event.

Five to ten questions is plenty. Keep each question quick to read on a screen.

Announce the winner before kick-off. If the result comes after the game starts, nobody's watching.

Put it on the TVs

On match days, every eye is already on the screens. Put the quiz on one or more TVs while the pre-match build-up plays on the others. If players answer on their phones, they can join from wherever they're stood.

Once the game is on, the quiz goes off. The match always wins.

Give it a proper prize

People need a reason to arrive early instead of five minutes before. A small prize for the winner does it: a pint, a bar tab, a meal for two on the next match day.

The prize is a reason to come back too. If the winner gets a voucher for the next home game, you've got them booked in already.

Keep it free to play. A free quiz with a prize based on knowledge is a prize competition, and the Gambling Commission says those rely on "an element of skill, knowledge, or judgment". The Commission doesn't regulate them as gambling. If you ever think about charging entry, read its guidance first.

Tell people about it

Put "pre-match quiz from 2pm" on your screens all week before a home game.
Post it on your social pages the day before, with the prize.
Put it on the board outside.
Mention it to regulars at the bar.

If the same people come early every match day, you've built a habit.

Licences to check before match day

Showing the match. TV Licensing says: "Any pub or bar which shows live television must be covered by a valid TV Licence." That's whatever channel and whatever device, including streaming.

Your music licence. PPL PRS says pubs will usually need TheMusicLicence to use the television for showing sports and other programming in public. If you already hold one, check your TV use is included.

On the day

Brief the bar team an hour before. They need to know the quiz is on, what the prize is and how the winner claims it. If a regular asks "is the quiz on?", the answer should be yes, not "what quiz?"

Have a tie-break ready. A single question with a number for an answer works well, like the year the club was founded or the record crowd at the ground. Closest wins. Decide it before you start so nobody argues afterwards.

Think about who's in. On a Saturday afternoon there may be kids in with their parents. Keep the questions clean, and if the winner might be under 18, make sure the prize is something they can actually have, like food.

Track it

Count how many people play, and keep an eye on what time they arrive. Compare a match day with the quiz to one without. If the pub fills earlier, it's working. If it doesn't, try a better prize or start it closer to kick-off.

Sources

Gambling Commission: Definitions, from Understanding the consumer landscape in free draws and prize competitions
TV Licensing: Pub landlords urged to check TV Licences
PPL PRS: TheMusicLicence for pubs and bars

We checked every source on 23 October 2026. Rules change, so check the latest version before you act. Nothing here is legal advice.