Andy Burnham has signalled that he may lift the ban on drinking alcohol in view of the pitch at football matches, arguing that supporters of the game are being treated differently from fans of other sports. The Prime Minister, a lifelong Everton fan, has long held the view that the restriction should be removed and has now made clear he is prepared to act on it.
Alcohol consumption within sight of the pitch has been outlawed in the top five divisions of English football since the troubled times of the 1980s. Under the current rules, supporters who want a drink must wait until half-time, join the queues at the bar and finish what they have bought in time to return to their seats for the start of the second half.
Burnham said football fans were being singled out unfairly. “I don’t think it’s fair for football fans to be singled out in that way and I made that point,” he told reporters during a flight to New York. “That legislation dates to an era where football was very different and I do believe there is a case to remove that discrimination. There are different ways it could be done – it could happen on a trial basis. But I’m not going to back away from what’s been a long-held view of mine. I don’t see how it can be fair that some supporters of one sport can be treated differently.”
His intervention has drawn a mixed response, with some critics dismissing the move as populist political grandstanding. The debate has also revived an argument about how supporters of different sports are policed and catered for, with cricket, rugby and horse racing all permitting spectators to drink while play is under way.
Support for a change has come from the Football Supporters Association, which favours Burnham’s suggestion that fans being allowed to take a drink back to their seats would improve the matchday experience. The Premier League is also open to any idea that helps its clubs extract more money from customers. The UK Football Policing Unit, however, is less enthusiastic. “Other sports simply don’t see the violence and criminal behaviour from their supporters that football does, albeit a minority, with alcohol often playing a significant part in violent and disorderly behaviour,” it said. “It would be irresponsible to fuel this by allowing greater alcohol consumption during games.”
Even setting aside the question of disorder, reintroducing alcohol to the stands would create a logistical problem unfamiliar to the current generation of match-goers: an endless procession of supporters standing up and sitting down again to let people past on their way to and from the bars and toilets. The recent trend for performative, celebratory pint-throwing at matches is another consideration, given that while alcohol raises the risk of violent disorder, it would also add to the likelihood of supporters going home drenched in beer.