September 24: UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has backed calls to bring alcohol back into football stands, arguing supporters are being treated differently to fans of other sports under rules dating back more than 40 years.
Drinking alcohol within sight of the pitch at designated football matches has been banned since the Sporting Events (Control of Alcohol, etc.) Act 1985, legislation introduced during a time of widespread football unrest.
Burnham, speaking during his visit to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, said: “I don’t think it’s fair that football fans are being singled out in this way and I said that. This legislation dates from a time when football was very different, and I think there’s a case for removing that discrimination.
“There are different ways of doing it – it could be tested. But I’m not going to back down from a view that I’ve held for a long time. I don’t see how it can be fair that some supporters of a sport can be treated differently.”
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said last month that the league would be willing to discuss the issue, although he stopped short of backing an immediate change; in fact, he didn’t really commit to either side of the debate.
“Forever and a day we haven’t felt like it’s the right time to make this move,” Masters said.
“We don’t have a specific view on this issue, and we should think about it very carefully. It goes back a long way to some pretty serious problems that the game had. Maybe now is the right time to start this discussion, but we don’t have a clear view.”
The Football Supporters’ Association has also backed a review, pointing to trials in the women’s game and the different rules that apply when the same stadiums host rugby, concerts and other events. Men’s soccer, however, is clearly a different beast altogether.
Chairman Tom Greatrex said: “The FSA has always argued that it is unfair to criminalize football fans for having a pint while watching the game, especially as you can sit in the same seat drinking alcohol while watching an Oasis concert or rugby league.”
There would also be money. Allowing alcohol to be consumed within sight of the pitch would give clubs more room to increase spend on matchday food and drink, while potentially making pouring rights and wider beer partnerships more valuable, giving sponsors visibility and activation opportunities within the bowl itself.
Evidence presented by the EFL to the government’s Fan-Led Review estimated that the existing restrictions cost clubs around £2 per spectator per match, equivalent to around £184,000 per season for an average League Two club.
For Premier League clubs, the sums would be larger in absolute terms, although they are unlikely to transform businesses that already generate hundreds of millions in annual revenue.
Further down the pyramid, the increase could be much more noticeable, although any gains would also have to be weighed against the likely inflated costs of safety, management and security, so a trial would probably paint a much clearer picture of the real economy.
The strongest pushback has come from the UK’s Football Policing Unit.
He described any changes without proper consultation as “incredibly hasty”, adding: “Other sports simply do not see the violence and criminal behavior of their supporters that football does, even if it is a minority, with alcohol often playing a large part in violent and disorderly behaviour.
“It would be irresponsible to fuel this by allowing more alcohol consumption during games.”
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at (email protected)