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EFL considering request to repeal laws banning drinking in the stands

Nice idea, but I don't think it will ever happen.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/45980807

I actually think the current laws encourage binge drinking and anti-social behaviour.

For some supporters, a game day consists of trying to drink as much as you can between mid-day and kick-off, and then as much as you can again at half time.

This results in fans drinking to excess in short periods, being incredibly pissed around town centres and walking into stadiums, where flash points are more likely.

If people know they can drink at their own pace over 90 minutes + half time, people may start drinking later, and consume the same amount but over a longer period.

If someone does end up getting too drunk mid-game, at least they are under the watchful eye of the stewards and police, and segregated with their own supporters, rather than 8 pints deep half an hour before kick off in a mixed pub.

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Comments

  • Excellent post.

    Quite a typically condescending reply from the Home Office. The success of alcohol availability in grounds in Germany shows it can be done without causing problems. The continued inference that football fans are a different breed of human is ignorant and offensive.

  • But might it be reasonable to consider the possibility that the modern British citizen is different to the German counterpart in his attitude to alcohol consumption, Jonny?`

    Re your original post, Oxford: if we all agree that the person who drinks as much as possible before and at half time of games has "issues", is there any reason to think they would automatically adopt a more modest approach to consumption? I think not, at least in the short term. I could see the normalising of alcoholic consumption at games bringing about a more sensible attitude in the longer term. But, with all due respect to Jonny's point, the current ban did not come about in a vacuum and football was not arbitrarily chosen for it.

    (On balance, however, I'd favour allowing sales: I'm a hope-for-the-best type.)

  • The thought of drinking a cold beer outside in winter does not appeal. I prefer a decent hot chocolate .

  • Why not allow the FA or EFL to license clubs for drinking whilst watching a game it could be limited to areas of the ground that don’t pose a risk and withdrawn from a club for instances antisocial behaviour

  • Sadly, I have to agree with @HCblue I fear the British social attitude to drink (and we all know it IS different) is what caused the problem in the first place and as far as I can tell things have not improved. Plastic bottles being lobbed (in general not AP), people getting irate/taking offence with the drummer/the team/the manager/other people singing/other people not singing/other people in general...you cannot stop pre-match drinking, but at least there is a chance to stop people staggering in...but getting razzed while they are on the terrace or in their seat...I suspect it will not happen. Of course in the Beechdean it would be a civilised cocktail party...

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  • Sitting next to a group sipping pints could be problematic every time we score!

  • And below the Frank Adams for reasons given above...

  • I suspect any change in the law would be restricted to hospitality areas where I imagine many clubs flaunt the regulations already.

  • Given the speed of service at Adams Park I can't see how anyone would be able to drink to excess.
    Sadly though I think relaxing this would cause so many problems. I remember the times when drinking was allowed and grounds are much more family friendly now. I also think attitudes to drinking are much worse now.

  • Does anyone really see the type of fan who gets absolutely lathered changing their habit to a dignified sipping of drink throughout the game instead?

  • @mooneyman , that's a great point! I've sat next to someone with a steaming hot drink with no lid on before, praying we don't score any time soon!

  • LX1LX1
    edited October 2018

    Wasn't alcohol banned from pitch-side as a knee-jerk policy after Hillsborough, rather than aimed at preventing drunken behaviour?

    edit - just read the article properly. No it was a 1985 Act.

  • Properly managed it wouldn’t be a problem at all. Ice hockey is my second sport and there’s copious amounts of beer drunk by spectators during the game without any trouble (except on the ice) so alcohol and crowd violence at sporting events aren’t necessarily linked. Wait! I hear you say football stands have a different demographic half a lager top and they’ll start swinging at each other, well no, wait outside the FA and it’s exactly the same mix of people that exit after the final whistle as leave the hockey arena (maybe a little older) . As I said before get clubs to apply for a license then listen to any concerns from the local police and the council and grant it to specific areas with a provision that it can be withdrawn at any time.

  • I’m sure it would be fine in seated areas.

  • @Morris_Ital I would like to believe you are right and my pessimistic view is due to my approaching Daily Mail age...

  • It's ok to be approaching 'Daily Mail' age - as long as you're not thinking of approaching the news stands with the intention of buying a copy.

  • @Morris_Ital said:
    Properly managed it wouldn’t be a problem at all. Ice hockey is my second sport and there’s copious amounts of beer drunk by spectators during the game without any trouble (except on the ice) so alcohol and crowd violence at sporting events aren’t necessarily linked. Wait! I hear you say football stands have a different demographic half a lager top and they’ll start swinging at each other, well no, wait outside the FA and it’s exactly the same mix of people that exit after the final whistle as leave the hockey arena (maybe a little older) . As I said before get clubs to apply for a license then listen to any concerns from the local police and the council and grant it to specific areas with a provision that it can be withdrawn at any time.

    I think that's a bit simplistic. It's more to do with the culture of supporting within a particular sport, rather than the demographic of the crowd.

    I'd bet there are people who go to both football and ice hockey games and behave completely differently at both. See also: Cricket, darts, rugby etc

  • @LeedsBlue the siren call has not yet filtered through my still smouldering leftie liberalism. I've not started to agree with Piers Morgan yet either...

  • These days I am struggling to remember what happened last week, let alone what happened 30 odd years ago. Was there ever a time though when people stood on FL terraces holding pints of beer?

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  • @eric_plant said:

    I think that's a bit simplistic. It's more to do with the culture of supporting within a particular sport, rather than the demographic of the crowd.

    I'd bet there are people who go to both football and ice hockey games and behave completely differently at both. See also: Cricket, darts, rugby etc

    I see you’re a fan of the Pub landlord “Anything anyone says to you about the Euro simply reply, No! it’s much more complicated than that, therefore you seem more intelligent and win”

    Nonsense of course, The club already serves beer to patrons within 15 feet of the seats without incident , are you arguing that if the act of taking that plastic beaker the extra five yards makes football supporters more likely to get lairy.
    To repeat myself it’s about management there’s plenty of alcohol being served around the ground and allowing beer in the away stand or the terrace may not be practical but with my suggestion it would be for the club to decide where in the ground to apply for a license and the EFL to decide and they more than anyone would want it to work

  • calm down @Morris_Ital have you had a drink?

  • Just got myself a new coffee maker so I’m feeling the buzz @Wendoverman

  • @DevC "These days I am struggling to remember what happened last week, let alone what happened 30 odd years ago."

    Let me remind you, you committed football fan treachory and deserted the Wanderers and jumped onto the Elton john/Graham Taylor bandwagon !!

  • @Morris_Ital bit of a chippy response

    If you don't think it is simplistic to say "it's alright at ice hockey so would be alright at football" good on you

    You can take glass bottles into a test match at Lords and there's never any trouble so they should allow that as well

  • Enjoyed a beer while watching from the terraces at a number of non-league grounds and would welcome not having to down my pint before buying another before the curfew.

  • I seem to recall you could also urinate freely on the terraces in days gone by...

  • @Wendoverman said:
    I seem to recall you could also urinate freely on the terraces in days gone by...

    You still can at Kenilworth Road!

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