Escape room: The Locker Room Before the Final
A football escape room for kids 7–12: crack the shirt numbers, count the coach’s formation and open the locker room before the whistle.
The story
Your team is about to walk out for the final, but the locker room is locked. Solve the clues to find the door code before the whistle.
3 story stations · online you can pick a level that adds more locks.
Run it at home or in class
What to prepare
- 5 shirts or sheets with numbers
- A coach’s board with the formation drawn on it
- A ball
- A whistle or a timer
Tips for the facilitator
- Hang the “shirts” on chairs like a real locker room.
- Draw the formation on green paper with a circle for each player.
- Run a 15-minute timer; the “whistle” builds the tension.
Difficulty level for “The Locker Room Before the Final”
The story clues stay the same on every level; harder levels add more locks in between. You can ask for a hint at every stage.
⚽ The Locker Room Before the Final
Your team is about to walk out for the final, but the locker room is locked. Solve the clues to find the door code before the whistle.
0 of 6 stages solved
Stage 1: The shirt numbers
1/6Shirts lie on the bench with the numbers 3, 6, 9, 12, __. The last shirt is face down.
Facilitator guide: ⚽ The Locker Room Before the Final
What the room practises
Skip counting, adding a list and combining two answers.
The 3 stations (without the answers)
- The shirt numbers: Which number is on the face-down shirt?
- The secret formation: How many players are on the pitch in this formation?
- The whistle code: What is the code?
Preparing and printing
On the easy level the printed kit has 7 pages: a facilitator sheet with the opening story, the setup list and every answer, plus an A4 card for each of the 6 stages. Besides printing, get ready: 5 shirts or sheets with numbers and a whistle or a timer.
Most important: Hang the “shirts” on chairs like a real locker room.
Age and group size
Best with teams of 3–5 children. In a class or a big party, print a kit per team and run the room in parallel.
Giving hints in this room
Online the hints open one at a time; in the printed kit they sit in the facilitator table next to each answer. Give the first hint after a couple of minutes of silence, not at the first wrong guess.
Frequently asked questions
What age is “The Locker Room Before the Final” for, and how long does it take?
It was written for kids and tweens, at medium difficulty, and usually takes 15–20 minutes. It has 3 story stations, and online you can choose between three difficulty levels that add more locks.
What do I need to run “The Locker Room Before the Final”?
A printer and these props: 5 shirts or sheets with numbers; A coach’s board with the formation drawn on it; A ball; A whistle or a timer. The printable kit includes a facilitator sheet with every answer and a card for each stage.
What if the players get stuck?
Every stage has graded hints. Online they open one at a time; in the printed kit they sit next to each answer on the facilitator sheet. The first hint never gives the answer away.
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