Drinking at seats in football grounds could be reinstated

[USREDEVIL]

You English can't have nice things eh? No beer at the stands, no United prem matches on tv. Probably for the best considering...

 

[Gio]

It’s such a dumb rule. People just end up even more drunk downing pints before and during half time.

This is basically what happens at every game. In Scotland you're not allowed to drink in the ground because of some skirmishes 40 years ago involving people who are now pensioners or dead. So all you get is folk firing back as many pints as possible before kick-off. People are just as drunk, if not drunker, but we go through the pretence of everything being cuddly and sober so it doesn't offend middle-class sensibilities. Certainly up here fans are paying the price for hooliganism in the 1970s and the starting point of treating everybody like a potential hooligan provides a pretty pish customer experience. Time to overhaul it, treat it like any other entertainment industry where clubs apply for a license and only keep it on the proviso of good behaviour. Chuck out the bad apples who will be easy to spot on CCTV. And then you have a system that works with safeguards in place to protect against the concerns people have raised in this thread.

 

[Abraxas]

I'm not a fan of it - in fact I don't think alcohol at sporting venues should be a thing at all. I don't think it lends itself to creating the best environment for women and children that also want to go and watch a game. I think it's important to look at it from the perspective of everybody, not just as a male football fan.

It's far more of a hardship for those people to endure mouthy and potentially aggressive football fans than it is for people that would like to drink to at least do it before and after the game and not during.

In real terms it has be said that fans get around this by getting tanked before the game (which should be more adequately checked on entry to the ground) but I still think it is correct to at least have a period where drinking isn't a focal point of the experience.

 

[USREDEVIL]

I'm not a fan of it - in fact I don't think alcohol at sporting venues should be a thing at all. I don't think it lends itself to creating the best environment for women and children that also want to go and watch a game. I think it's important to look at it from the perspective of everybody, not just as a male football fan.

It's far more of a hardship for those people to endure mouthy and potentially aggressive football fans than it is for people that would like to drink to at least do it before and after the game and not during.

In real terms it has be said that fans get around this by getting tanked before the game (which should be more adequately checked on entry to the ground) but I still think it is correct to at least have a period where drinking isn't a focal point of the experience.

The problem is a lot of the fans cannot have a pint or two. Nooo they need to get drunk.

 

[Bobcat]

I dont see the problem really.

If someone cant control themselves, just have a strict policy of taking away their season card and/or a lenght ban from the stadium. Dont see why people cant enjoy a nice beer just because a small precentage of bellends cant behave

 

[Neil_Buchanan]

Great news, just a shame that it’s carling.

 

[djembatheking]

It will give the fans more ammo to throw at the players when they are abusing them and its better than throwing coins, surely.

 

[Dave Smith]

I mean seriously, do people actually not believe this will happen and especially when it coincides with safe standing?

 

[Ace Krampus]

You English can't have nice things eh? No beer at the stands, no United prem matches on tv. Probably for the best considering...

I'm trying to imagine going to the hundreds of Mets games I've been to since 1993 with no booze.....

 

[largelyworried]

Not letting people drink in their seats does not stop people being drunk at football matches.

 

[EngimaMK]

I went to watch Premiership rugby this weekend. Great day out. We can buy booze, drink in the stands and have a standing section. Always really great fun.

I'm not sure the atmosphere would be the same at football though. Also in rugby, fans sit intermingled. I was sat next to Gloucester fans and had lots of friendly manner. No home or away end. Treating people like the reasonable adults they are.

Unfortunately football may be a bridge too far for drinking as much as you like in the stands.

 

[Flytan]

Never knew it wasn't legal.

 

[Penna]

Step 1: one person has to take a piss
Step 2: that person gets beer for the rest of the group on his way back
Step 3: another person has to take a piss

Step 4: it goes in the empty glass and is poured on the floor (if you're lucky).

 

[Gary_Walsh_Nou_Camp_Hell]

I went to watch Premiership rugby this weekend. Great day out. We can buy booze, drink in the stands and have a standing section. Always really great fun.

I'm not sure the atmosphere would be the same at football though. Also in rugby, fans sit intermingled. I was sat next to Gloucester fans and had lots of friendly manner. No home or away end. Treating people like the reasonable adults they are.

Unfortunately football may be a bridge too far for drinking as much as you like in the stands.

You can drink on the terraces in the lower leagues, it's fine.

Edit: lots of people get pissed before going in the ground anyway, another pint each half will make no difference.

 

[do.ob]

Step 4: it goes in the empty glass and is poured on the floor (if you're lucky).

I didn't know you were a hooligan. That's not very nice.

 

[GeorgieBoy]

People who want to will get pissed before the game regardless so not sure it will add much in the way of drunken behaviour anyway.

 

[Withnail]

I'm not a fan of it - in fact I don't think alcohol at sporting venues should be a thing at all. I don't think it lends itself to creating the best environment for women and children that also want to go and watch a game. I think it's important to look at it from the perspective of everybody, not just as a male football fan.

It's far more of a hardship for those people to endure mouthy and potentially aggressive football fans than it is for people that would like to drink to at least do it before and after the game and not during.

In real terms it has be said that fans get around this by getting tanked before the game (which should be more adequately checked on entry to the ground) but I still think it is correct to at least have a period where drinking isn't a focal point of the experience.

Why do you think the women aren't drinking?

 

[Dan_F]

I mean seriously, do people actually not believe this will happen and especially when it coincides with safe standing?

I bet half those people have never watched a game live. I just don’t see people acting like that at all. Maybe in tiny pockets initially, but it would get shut down pretty quickly.

 

[Bosws87]

I bet half those people have never watched a game live. I just don’t see people acting like that at all. Maybe in tiny pockets initially, but it would get shut down pretty quickly.

It happens at every game i go to in the away section, the pints would be launched everywhere.

I don't know how many rows i ended up down on Sunday at the london stadium after the penalty save.

 

[Dave Smith]

It happens at every game i go to in the away section, the pints would be launched everywhere.

Yep, my experience too.

 

[adexkola]

This is why the eye test is so flawed. Information massively distorted by inebriation is deemed by some as clearly superior to data

 

[hp88]

feck this, don’t fancy getting drenched in Carling every time we score.

 

[Dan_F]

It happens at every game i go to in the away section, the pints would be launched everywhere.

I don't know how many rows i ended up down on Sunday at the london stadium after the penalty save.

But that’s got nothing to do with people purposely throwing their beer in the air? That became a thing because of these videos going viral in the last WC.

Most of the times I’ve had pints watching football abroad, it’s been on the floor, apart from when I’m drinking it.

Safe standing would also basically stop people charging forward with rails in place.

 

[Dave Smith]

But that’s got nothing to do with people purposely throwing their beer in the air? That became a thing because of these videos going viral in the last WC.

Most of the times I’ve had pints watching football abroad, it’s been on the floor, apart from when I’m drinking it.

Safe standing would also basically stop people charging forward with rails in place.

And pictures of the crowds in the stands going wild throwing beer in the air wouldn't go viral? I mean knowing the one upmanship of British football culture there is a high likelihood sets of fans will try and out do each other.

Additionally, not sure if you go to away games but this is certainly a feature in and around the bars inside the ground to certain songs.

 

[Bosws87]

But that’s got nothing to do with people purposely throwing their beer in the air? That became a thing because of these videos going viral in the last WC.

Most of the times I’ve had pints watching football abroad, it’s been on the floor, apart from when I’m drinking it.

Safe standing would also basically stop people charging forward with rails in place.

My season ticket is in the safe standing bit of Old Trafford currently people will just pile over the top of them i can assure you.

Home game at old trafford as a home fan apart from the odd beer being thrown it would be fine more then likely, but that is not the experience for the opposition fans.

 

[Hammondo]

Really puts me off going to a match. I hate this idea.

 

[Maagge]

The first time I set foot in an English stadium I was very surprised to learn I could only drink below the stands.

 

[pascell]

You English can't have nice things eh? No beer at the stands, no United prem matches on tv. Probably for the best considering...

Considering...

 

[Dan_F]

And pictures of the crowds in the stands going wild throwing beer in the air wouldn't go viral? I mean knowing the one upmanship of British football culture there is a high likelihood sets of fans will try and out do each other.

Additionally, not sure if you go to away games but this is certainly a feature in and around the bars inside the ground to certain songs.

Maybe. I haven’t been in a United away end for about three years and don’t remember ever seeing people just throwing pints in the air for the sake of it. I remember seeing videos of it happening on the concourse just after the World Cup and everyone just laughing at them.

 

[Eckers99]

People who like a drink before football tend to get on it earlier before games as they know that the beer at the ground is overpriced, poor quality and not readily available. They'll also put extra away in the half hour before kick off to compensate for this.

I honestly think that if United sold a decent pint for a reasonable price during games, people would be less inclined to hammer the opportunity before the game and during half-time.

In short, I'm not convinced it would be the booze apocalypse some people would lead you to believe.

 

[Charlie Foley]

Just don’t let any Liverpool fans in the upper tier and it’ll be good

 

[clarkydaz]

Guys constantly shuffling acoss the cramped seating rows at OT spilling 3 pints of beer on their travels doesnt sound appealing

 

[fergieisold]

I'm not a fan of it - in fact I don't think alcohol at sporting venues should be a thing at all. I don't think it lends itself to creating the best environment for women and children that also want to go and watch a game. I think it's important to look at it from the perspective of everybody, not just as a male football fan.

It's far more of a hardship for those people to endure mouthy and potentially aggressive football fans than it is for people that would like to drink to at least do it before and after the game and not during.

In real terms it has be said that fans get around this by getting tanked before the game (which should be more adequately checked on entry to the ground) but I still think it is correct to at least have a period where drinking isn't a focal point of the experience.

It’s football though, that’s the culture. If people want a different experience then maybe some sections of a ground could be alcohol free?