EFL clubs call for lifting of alcohol ban that prevents fans drinking beer in stadiums
The ban on supporters drinking alcohol in the stands is outdated, the chief executive of the English Football League has said, amid a campaign to have the law scrapped.
Shaun Harvey said Home Office rules stopping football fans from drinking alcohol within view of the pitch, sparked by 1980s hooliganism, was now “disproportionate”.
With rugby supporters sharing the same stadiums allowed to drink throughout games, nine Football League clubs have led calls for the 33-year-old law to be overturned. Harvey explained that the EFL has had the matter under review for some time and wants a “sensible and responsible” debate on the matter with the Government and local safety experts.
He said in a statement: “There is no doubt football has changed dramatically in the 30-plus years since the introduction of the act and to have a blanket ban on alcohol in view of the playing area remaining in 2018 is, in our view, disproportionate to today’s level of risk.”
Sunderland, Ipswich Town, Doncaster Rovers, Accrington Stanley, Port Vale, Forest Green Rovers, Lincoln City, Tranmere Rovers and Northampton Town reportedly want a pilot scheme. Grimsby Town, Newport County and Gillingham have also indicated they are open to a discussion.
The Football Supporters’ Federation is backing the campaign, with its “Faircop” caseworker Amanda Jacks explaining that any change would need to be trialled and monitored but the idea that football should be treated differently was “outdated and based on prejudice”.
The Government, however, has already rejected these calls.
In a statement, a Home Office spokesperson said: “This is an important piece of public order legislation, which specifically applies to designated football matches because of football’s unique public order risks.
The Sporting Events (Control of Alcohol etc) Act 1985 was introduced after years of disorder at matches and was an attempt to balance fans’ right to enjoy a drink, and the clubs’ desire to sell them drinks, with concerns about alcohol’s link with anti-social behaviour and violence.
