AW Arena, a soft play centre in Ellesmere Port, Chester, has been extending its hours until midnight to host World Cup viewing parties, allowing families to watch matches together in a safe, child-friendly environment.
Mum Praises Family-Friendly Initiative
Chloe Gallagher, a 34-year-old mother of three from North Wales, praised the venue for showing the England vs Norway game on Saturday evening. She attended with her children, aged five, nine, and ten, and was impressed by the atmosphere.
According to Chloe, when Jude Bellingham scored two goals, the room erupted with excitement. Children hugged, sang “it’s coming home,” and played on the climbing frames while parents joined in the celebration.
Booking for England vs Argentina
Chloe was so pleased with the experience that she booked again for her family and friends to watch England vs Argentina on Wednesday night. Her group of about 24 people, with children ranging from five to 16, joined around 100 attendees at the venue.
Chloe said: “My son is football mad. Football is everything to him, so being able to have a space to go and watch it with his mates in a family friendly environment that feels safe and fun meant a lot to him.”
Creating Memories for Kids
Chloe recalled her own childhood memories of watching games at school early in the morning and wanted to recreate that experience for her son. She noted that older children played football on the 3G pitch while younger ones enjoyed the soft play area.
She added: “I've got such strong memories of being a child and going into school at six o'clock in the morning just to watch a game and there is nothing really that can beat watching it with your mates.”
Addressing the Gap in Family-Friendly Viewing
Chloe believes children are often overlooked during the World Cup, with much focus on pub culture. Pubs typically do not allow children late at night, and parents want a safe environment.
She said: “There's so many kids who love football and the World Cup and it can be hard to find somewhere for them to get together so late. The pubs wouldn't allow kids in at that time of night, but you don't want to take kids around that environment anyway.”
Tips for Parents
Chloe, who creates travel content for parents of neurodivergent children, shared advice for keeping children up for late matches. She recommended tactical naps: putting younger children to bed at a normal time and waking them for the game. She also emphasized planning recovery time the next day.
She said: “To cope, the idea was tactical naps, but the reality was always going to be harder than that. My youngest really wanted to come, so we put them to bed at a normal time, about half six, and then you woke him up to come. You’ve also got to plan lots of recovery time and don't have any high expectations for the next day, take it slow.”
