Drinking at football matches - would fans welcome it? — SkimNews
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- Andy Burnham declared the 1985 Sporting Events Control of Alcohol Act 'outdated' and discriminatory against football fans compared with supporters of rugby, concerts and other sports, during a New York trip that turned to UK sports policy
- The English Football League issued a statement saying it would be 'receptive to discussions around reviewing the current legislation,' noting member clubs had already mandated lobbying for reform because rules 'have not kept pace with significant developments in stadium management, safety and stewarding'
- WSL Football has permanently removed the in-stand drinking ban after two seasons of successful trials — the women's top flight was not bound by the 1985 Act and could act unilaterally
- Scotland has run a pilot since last year that began in lower leagues, reached the Premiership and extended to men's national team friendlies against Japan, Curacao, and upcoming ties with Switzerland (29 Sept) and Slovenia
- The Football Supporters' Association backs giving clubs the choice to sell alcohol in some or all stands and pointed to safe-standing as proof police opposition can be overcome by managed pilots
- The UK Football Policing Unit rejected the case, arguing alcohol plays 'a significant part in violent and disorderly behaviour' and that other sports 'simply don't see the violence and criminal behaviour' football does
- Fan opinion split sharply — a Chelsea supporter from Twickenham called it '100% against' citing beer-throwing culture at Boxpark, while a Wolves fan backed 'designated areas' as a compromise
- European comparisons show stark variation: strict bans or alcohol-free-only rules in Spain's top two divisions and under France's Evin Law, against unrestricted drinking at seats in the Bundesliga and Serie A (capped at 5% ABV in Italy)
Why it matters: The political winds have shifted: with the EFL publicly receptive and the WSL already having dropped the ban unilaterally, Burnham's backing raises the prospect of a formal review of a 40-year-old law that currently treats the Premier League to National League differently from every other British sport. Reform would hand lower-league clubs a new matchday revenue stream and shift a long-running safety-versus-fan-experience argument that the police have historically won.
Ask SkimNews
