Great food, great beer, and great entertainment.  Football season is upon us and there are few experiences that going to your teams lot before the game and living it up with like minded fans and friends.  The games and parking can be expensive so you want to be prepared so you can have a good time and not waste your money on a so-so experience.

1. Well before game day do a search online and know the rules of lot where you will be posting up.  It isn’t a free for all and the rules are there to protect everyone from problem people, and there usually is a little of this element but it is at a minimum most of the time.  At most places they are common sense rules such as you must clean up after yourself and you cannot leave a grill unattended.  Some places do have alcohol rules, especially if you are going to a college game where you have a younger crowd. 
2. Prepare everything you can, food and drink wise, the night before.  Plan well (make a list) and have everything ready to pack up.  Even if you get up early and think you have plenty of time things have a way of delaying your game day adventure.  You don’t want to get up the morning of the game and realize you have to run to the store because of something simple you forgot.  Here are some simple tips.  Have a old 6 pack beer container for your burger and hot dog condiments, and cook everything you can before you go to minimize time behind the grill.  Bring a lot more ice than you think you need.  Running out of ice is always a disaster. For you colder days, make a few different varieties of warm soups the night before.  Keep them all in thermoses.  It is a great way to keep warm if your in the northern part of the country.
3. Make sure your friends can find you.  With cell phones being attached to everyone this can get overlooked nowadays.  If you know you are going to be around a specific landmark or you have a regular spot this isn’t a big problem, but plans can change.  Most of the time there is no obvious landmark in the middle of a big lot so I suggest using a very distinctive helium balloon to attach to your site.  Don’t use your team colors because there will be a lot of balloons like this, so pick something much different.  If it is up around 10 ft. your people will have a much easier time finding you and not searching for hours.
4. Introduce yourself to your neighbors.  Everyone at the game is there to have a good time.  You don’t want to step on anyone’s toes that is next to you and a good way to make sure this doesn’t happen is to get to know everyone early in the day, and more importantly, when everyone is sober.  This helps when someone overhears something said in an unintended way, or if there is an errant toss of a football.  Everyone will know it is an accident if an event like this happens. 
5. Bring entertainment.  If you can have a TV for pregame coverage, but always bring a football and preferable the game of bags (some from the Midwest know the game as cornhole). This is a good way to get your neighbors involved too without having to give up any of your food or beer!  Also, bring a sports trivia game for fans that don’t want to do anything to physical.
6. This last one is for the season ticket holders.   If you know you are going to be going to every game for years to come, invest in a team colored trailer.  Everything can be packed in and out easily and you will never forget things you need.  You can also set up a full bar and have an area to get out of the wind and cold on those days. Again, some lots allow things like this and some don’t, so make sure you know the rules before you buy or build one.