UK football fans reject calls to lift alcohol ban in stadium stands

Most football fans in the United Kingdom believe the ban on drinking alcohol in the stands should not be lifted, challenging calls to review the decades-old restriction (the Times).

United Kingdom prime minister Andy Burnham recently argued that the law, introduced in 1985, should be reconsidered.

The current rules allow supporters to drink alcohol in stadium concourses but prevent them from consuming it in the stands across the top five tiers of men’s football. 

Burnham described the restriction as ‘discrimination’, pointing out that other sports such as rugby and cricket don’t have similar limitations.

The Football Supporters’ Association (FSA) welcomed the proposal, but the UK Football Policing Unit (UKFPU) warned that allowing more alcohol consumption during matches would be irresponsible.

A YouGov survey of 6,091 adults who have attended football matches shows that many fans share the police unit’s concerns. 

According to the poll, 64 percent of match-going fans support keeping the ban, while 26% want it lifted.

The survey also examined how fans believe a change would affect their matchday experience. 

Just over half of people who have attended at least one match said allowing alcohol in the stands would make the experience worse. 

Only 20% expected an improvement, while 17% believed it would make no difference.

There has also been controversy over references to the Hillsborough Stadium disaster. The UKFPU cited the Taylor Report and football-related tragedies when explaining why it doesn’t want the ban lifted.

But the FSA shut it down, stressing that alcohol was not responsible for the deaths at Hillsborough.

Liverpool West Derby MP Ian Byrne described the police unit’s statement as appalling, while Liverpool Supporters Board chairman Jay McKenna argued that policing failures contributed to the disaster.

The UKFPU later clarified that it didn’t intend to link alcohol with Hillsborough. 

Its spokesperson said alcohol laws were among several measures that, alongside Taylor Report recommendations, had helped make football safer.