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Post Overview
- Super Bowl Squares, also known as “football squares” is a popular “office pool” event that can easily be converted to a marathon fundraiser.
- Players are assigned a square on a 10×10 grid with randomly assigned number combinations to determine winners based on the payout schedule.
- This is a beginner-friendly opportunity to raise a significant amount towards a fundraising minimum.
There’s something so satisfying about combining football, community, and a little friendly competition, especially when it’s for a good cause. That’s where football squares come in. Whether you’re hosting a watch party for the Big Game or looking for a simple, low-lift way to raise funds for a charity, a Super Bowl squares fundraiser is one of the easiest (and fun!) ways to do it.
It’s also incredibly beginner-friendly. You don’t need to be a football expert or a seasoned fundraiser, just someone who enjoys bringing people together. Bonus points if your favorite team is in the game.
Let’s break down how this works, how to make it a success, and a few tips I’ve learned from running a football squares marathon fundraiser year after year.
Key Topics Covered in this Post
What are Football Bowl Squares?
Football squares (also called a square football pool or “Super Bowl Squares”) is a simple numbers-based game tied to the score of a football game, most popularly, the Super Bowl. Football squares are a very popular fundraising idea since the level to entry is usually low and you don’t need to know anything about American football to play.
How to Play Super Bowl Squares
Picture a 10×10 grid. That gives you 100 squares to sell to players. Each square represents a unique coordinate of the final digit of each team’s score (0–9). One team is assigned to the top (X-axis) and the other to the side (Y-axis). The numbers are randomly assigned after all squares are purchased to keep things fair.
At the end of each quarter, you check the last digit of each team’s score and find the square where they intersect. Whoever owns that square wins the prize for that quarter.
It’s part luck, part strategy (more on that below), and all fun, especially when there’s a good cause behind it.
Related Post: Prefer following basketball instead of football? Considering hosting a March Madness bracket tournament as a fundraiser with this guide!
How to Host a Super Bowl Squares Fundraiser
Setting up a Super Bowl squares fundraiser is easy and only takes a few steps.
A Step-by-Step Setup Guide for Football Squares
- Create a 10×10 Grid
- You can use paper, a template in Canva, a spreadsheet, or a digital squares generator. This gives you 100 total squares to sell.
- Sell the Squares
- Decide on a set price (example: $10 per square).
- Sell all 100 squares before the game. (100 squares x $10 = $1000 total pot)Create a fun flyer in Canva to promote your fundraiser. They have so many fun, free templates!
- Promote your fundraiser heavily on social media. Add updates to your stories, create posts on social media daily to remind your friends to join.
- Email your friends to let them know you’re hosting a pool.
- Assign Teams to the X and Y-axis
- Choose one team for the top row (X-axis) and the other for the side column (Y-axis).
- Assign Numbers Randomly (Once you’ve Sold All of the Squares)
- Once all squares are purchased, randomly assign numbers 0–9 along each axis.
- Keep it random to ensure fairness.
- Share the Final Game Board with the Players
- Tag your friends on social with the game board link, email or text them so they know what numbers they’ve been assigned.
- Thank your donors for their contributions to your cause!
- Make the Donation to Your Fundraising Page
- Post proof of donation in good faith
- Determine Winners
- At the end of each quarter, look at the last digit of each team’s score.
- Find the intersecting square and award the prize.
- Announce Winners
- Post updates live during the game or afterward (great for engaging your community on social media!).
Pro Tip: The higher the price of the square, the longer it might take you to sell them. Give yourself plenty of time to promote your fundraiser before the game day!
How to Sell Football Squares
Share your fundraiser with friends through social media, email or word of mouth. Let your friends know about the cause you’re running for to help offer buy-in for your intention. I personally share my fundraiser on my Instagram and share the post to my stories to help increase visibility.
Football Squares Payout Structure
Let’s say you sell all 100 squares at $10 each. That’s $1,000 total in the pot.
As a fundraiser, you might do a 50/50 split:
- $500 goes to the fundraiser
- $500 split between winners
Pro Tip: Want to simplify pay ins and payouts? Use Venmo or PayPal to collect entry fees and send winnings.
Example Payout Breakdown for Football Squares
There are a few ways you can handle your payouts. As the pool commissioner, you have a few options.
One example for how to break out the payouts for your Super Bowl squares using the example of $500 available for payouts and $500 available for the charity:
- Q1 winner: $100
- Q2 winner: $100
- Q3 winner: $100
- Final score winner: $200
Some organizers choose to offer five payouts (one for each quarter and the final score). Just make sure you communicate the breakdown clearly when people buy in.
Related Post: Want simple fundraising ideas to hit your marathon fundraising goals? Read these tips with easy fundraising ideas!
Hosting a Football Squares Fundraiser Online Suggestions
You can use an online to set up your football pool and send your grid out easily to friends. Some sites offer online hosting for a fee if you’d like a more premium feel.
I hosted a “Super Bears Squares” as a Chicago Marathon fundraiser for a game against the Green Bay Packers and used SqMGR to host my pool. I had tried another site before this one and found the experience overwhelming. SqMGR was great since there are no ads and it’s free. I also loved that the team colors were set up in their system, so my game board looked on brand!
Super Bowl Squares Fundraiser Tips
If you’re running this as a Super Bowl squares fundraiser online, here are a few important things to keep in mind:
- This is considered a “Split-the-Pot” style fundraiser with a portion of the pool donated to charity and the remaining portion used for payouts.
- Buyers should pay you directly (Venmo, PayPal, or cash). Do not direct them to a fundraising page or nonprofit link since you won’t have the cash available for payouts.
- You, as the organizer, will collect the total and donate the agreed portion after the game.
- Be transparent about these elements for the fundraising event.
- Cost per square
- Payout structure
- How much is going to the fundraiser
Pro Tip: Hosting a football party for the Big Game? Check out this football party kit with an inflatable goal post! Or make your football party really fun with this balloon arch (handheld balloon pump not included for either option).
Football Squares Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some additional tips and statistics for a football squares game.
This game is all about chance, but historically, 0, 3, 4, and 7 tend to show up the most in football scores.
These combinations are most common for payouts for Super Bowl squares.
7-0 or 0-7
4-7
0-3 or 3-0
These reflect common score patterns from touchdowns (7 points), field goals (3 points).
2, 5, and 9 are the least common final digits in football scores, but anything could happen! Every square has a shot.
Payouts are totally up to the organizer. The most common is 4 payouts, one for each quarter, or 5 if you include the final game score separately to account for overtime. Some people like to weight certain quarters more favorably, like the 2nd quarter, 4th quarter or final score.
As long as the total adds up to the pot, have fun with this and make your fundraiser stand out!
No, you can make any football game a football squares competition. I usually pick one Chicago Bears game (I name them Super Bears Squares) since the Bears/Green Bay rivalry is so intense. Most people are accustomed to playing during the Super Bowl.
Related Post: Find even more fundraising ideas in the marathon fundraising top fundraisers!
When is the Super Bowl This Year?
Super Bowl LXI is on Sunday, February 14, 2027, at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA. The divisional championship games to determine who is playing in the Super Bowl are on Sunday, January 31st. To give yourself enough time to sell all your squares, start selling squares on Monday, February 1st.
An Easy Way to Raise Funds While Watching the Big Game
Whether you’re cheering for your team or just watching for the halftime show, using football squares for a Super Bowl fundraiser brings people together and raises money without needing a whole committee to organize.
It’s one of my favorite low-stress ways to fundraise (and sneak in a little fun competition). Plus, it makes game day even more exciting, especially when your number hits in the final seconds of the 4th quarter.
Got questions or want help setting one up? Drop a comment or reach out on Instagram! I love seeing how creative you all get with this! Let me know if you’ve hosted a Super Bowl Squares fundraiser and have tips not included here? Let me know in the comments.
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Disclaimer: This post is for entertainment purposes and is not financial advice.
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