Football Fans In Britain Could Soon Be Able To Drink In View Of The Pitch

Football fans could soon be allowed to drink in view of the pitch, as the government consider changing rules that have been in place since 1985.

There has been a ban on alcohol consumption in British football stadiums for nearly 40 years, with fans only able to drink in the concourses and not in view of the pitch.

The ban has been in place in the top five leagues in England, from the Premier League down to the National Football League, but a trial to end the ban could soon be underway.

A fan led review of football last year by former Sports minister Tracey Crouch recommended that the ban be put under review, as well as several other suggestions.

On Monday, the government endorsed the 10 strategic recommendations from the review, which included a look into ending the ban on drinking in view of the stadium.

They will pilot a scheme to see if 'safe drinking' in stadiums is viable and it's likely to be tested lower down the football ladder but could lead the way into eventually seeing the return of alcohol to stadiums in the top tier, something that's never happened in a Premier League game,.

The EFL, according to the Daily Mail, miss out on around £2 per crowd member for each game because of the ban, which adds up to around £35 million across the Football League.

Premier League clubs are also thought to miss out on £30 million per season, something they'd definitely want to cash in on, especially after Covid stopped them earning as much as usual for over a year.

The move though could still find resistance from the UK Football Policing Unit, who would no doubt worry that policing games would only become more difficult.

Speaking in November, when the move was first proposed, Chief Constable Mark Roberts of Cheshire Police, told the Mail his issues with the raising of the ban.

"It is unpicking something which is designed to make things safer for fans," Roberts explained.

"Many would say that they do not want it anyway and would not welcome fans in front of them getting up during games to go and buy alcohol.

"It is being proposed at a time when we are seeing many worrying instances of violence at football at all levels, so the timing is bizarre."

There were certainly problems at Wembley last summer ahead of the Euro 2020 final, leading to England having to play one fixture behind closed doors this summer, whilst players have had coins and cups thrown at them this season.