Is drinking in the stands about to return to English football?
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What is the background of the drinking ban in English football?
The Clare Byrne Show on Newstalk with Aviva Insurance. All right, we are now going to move to another story which we were telling you about a little bit earlier on this morning across the water. The British Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, has indicated that he wants to lift the ban on drinking in English football stands. It's been a long-running discussion point amongst match-going fans and Burnham has called the ban discriminatory as other sports permit it. I'm joined by John Bruin of The Guardian. Good morning, John.
Morning, Claire.
So how long has drinking in the stands been banned in English football?
How did the 1985 ban originate and what events led to it?
Been banned since 1985. Obviously, if you think back to that year, that was a year of, well, a lot of football violence. I suppose the Heysel tragedy would lead the list of those. But that ended, you know, 15, 20 years of football hooliganism. In Scotland, it was actually banned in 1981 after a riot at the Scottish Cup final between Celtic and Rangers. So it's been in place over this side of the water for a long time, you know, many decades.
But if you go to a rugby match, you can have a pint, right? In the stands.
Yes, and when I've been to rugby, that seems to be the order of the day. Swilling pints, doesn't it? You know, Guinness and all the rest of it.
Why do other sports like rugby allow alcohol in the stands?
Yes, I mean, I suppose Andy Burnham's point is that, He feels as a football fan that there is a certain amount of prejudice against them, that they are prejudged on their behaviour. But I think he is going to face a significant amount of resistance on this because it is still felt, particularly by police, that football fans can't behave themselves. Now, the policing of football fans is sometimes quite draconian, though on the flip side of that, you could say that It is successful. And when I've been to the continent or further afield, the UK policing of football is successful. There is less violence around the grounds than there used to be back in the 1980s. I
just wonder why Andy Burnham is doing this. Like, is there a huge clamouring call from people who want to drink a few pints at the match? Or is it Andy Burnham who wants to drink a pint at a match? Where is it coming from?
That's a great point, isn't it? Yeah, I mean, Andy Burnham, there's been a series of things that he's hit against and they do seem to be Andy Burnham's thoughts on things. There's been a thing about high street bookmakers, you know, which has caused an awful ruckus in that particular sphere, kicking against that. And, you know, he is a football man, he's an Evertonian.
What are Andy Burnham’s reasons for wanting to lift the ban?
And, you know, it's one of those things where What are your image of drinking at football? Well, mine is the Croydon Box Park. You know the one I mean, when England score a goal and this social media video flows up where beer is thrown in the air. That's the thing that people are not that keen on, the idea that beer will be
flogged all over the
place. Yeah, but it's, I mean, the price of beer. I mean, every year I go to the Cheltenham Festival and for many years you were not able to drink next to the rail, next to the track. But they've removed that ban in the last couple of years. And I have seen, you know, there's no beer being thrown near me anyway. So maybe Andy Burnham's idea is that people are trusted and I'd be interested to see what the football supporters think. Association Federation say about this? Because their view is that football fans are treated like second-class citizens and are not trusted.
Or infantilised, because you can have your few pints beforehand and at half-time and afterwards. Does it make that much difference if you have a pint during the game?
No, absolutely. Listen, I often go to football matches as a reporter and I'll be walking back to the train or to the car And I'm the only sober person there. People a lot of the time use it to get drunk. Now, the question is, would they use that time during the game to get even more drunk? Well, that's a possibility.
How might allowing pints affect fan behaviour on match day?
Or do the people just cram it in on the concourses before and after the game? Well, yes, they do. It's a difficult one.
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Chapters
7 chapters
1
What is the background of the drinking ban in English football?
0:01–0:41
2
How did the 1985 ban originate and what events led to it?
0:41–1:25
3
Why do other sports like rugby allow alcohol in the stands?
1:25–2:51
4
What are Andy Burnham’s reasons for wanting to lift the ban?
2:51–4:29
5
How might allowing pints affect fan behaviour on match day?
4:29–6:32
6
What concerns do police and football authorities have about the proposal?
6:32–8:14
7
Will the trial to re‑introduce drinking in the stands succeed?
8:14–8:26