Not selling alcohol at football is not "discrimination"

Well you definitely get that at rugby, and at cricket.

Yeah I know.
I'm taking issue with all football fans being branded hooligans when we all know that's not the case. It's typically men who would be violent with or without the footabll.

Then the alcohol ban hasn't made it more diverse there either.

That's an over simplification. When the tickets are more easily accessible our fan base gets more diverse not less - more kids, more women, more BAME - it's great, I love cup games for this reason. The crowd is fantastic and the atmosphere is more fun then standard games. People feeling safe and welcome is what allows for diverse crowds.

Not n my PL team - vast majority of fans are white working class males.

No, it's the price that's done that in the Premiership.

In the lower leagues the fan base is still very male and working class.

well in some countries it does. And it did here - that's one of the reasons it was banned.

Totally agree.

And just to add ..there is a world of difference between nasty thugs and annoying drunken arseholes. It’s not just the extreme you need to worry about but loud boorish behaviour ,often in front of kids and families.

I think the ban on drinking in the stands has led to the attending fan base becoming more diverse. The atmosphere is a lot nicer as a result.

We have season tickets to a top PL club and I'd massively reduce the games I'd go to if drinking is allowed in the stands. I've been to game screenings where alcohol is allowed in the stands and it's a mess. Beer getting thrown everywhere when the team scores. People falling over in the stands. General stupidity. It's all much nicer without the beer.

I think this is a really bad idea. I love going to see my team on the rare occasion I can bag a ticket but adding alcohol into the mix will only increase the risk of trouble. Lots of fans pre-load ( drink and drugs) anyway.

I have also witnessed trouble at cricket matches because of large groups of pissed up men.

Drink is readily available pre and post match - we dont need it in the stands.

It’s also the element of organised crime that is linked to football “holligans”

I mean, you realise kier starmer just stands there and watches foootball, he doesn’t arrange to meet someone from N7 beforehand to have a fight

I live in Glasgow, it's bad enough with football fans without adding alcohol in the grounds.

Yes, I said reasonable people..

Yes there are some nasty thugs at football, just as there have been awful offences by asylum seekers but reasonable people wouldn't dream of speaking of them as a group based on that.

There are political parties and "movements" in the UK who do just that.

What other section of society could you take a negative characteristic of a small minority from a group and apply it to them all?

Asylum seekers are rapists
Benefits claimants are lazy
Women are gold diggers

You get the gist. Yes there are some nasty thugs at football, just as there have been awful offences by asylum seekers but reasonable people wouldn't dream of speaking of them as a group based on that.

I had a season ticket for 17 years at my local club. I absolutely support the ban staying.

By the way, in case anyone was unsure - you CAN still buy alcohol in the ground. It just can't be consumed anywhere in sight of the pitch, which includes under the stands where you can see out into the stadium.

A number of posters have described poor/violent behaviour by football fans ( either at the game or in the pub/in public). I'm pointing out that despite being allowed to drink during the game, those issues don't appear to happen at the women's game. Or by football fans watching the women's game in a pub.

Football fans get a hard time on MN when really what people are talking about is men behaving poorly and being violent. It's not the football, it's men.

Yeah they do. I’ve seen plenty of punch ups in rugby hospitality tents (used to work at twickenham)

They take drinks to their seats! But also have a pint and food (usually a pie) at half time too.

I think it is discriminatory. Not because you can't drink a football but becuase you can't drink at men's football, there are no restrictions at the women's game.

I'm a regular at men's football, and have been since the dark days of the 1980s.

Now, the absolute majority of fans are fine with or without a drink, but football attracts huge numbers week in week out and anywhere you get massive numbers and alcohol, you're going to get some problems, but the rules aren't based on attendance, they're based on sex and sport.

I attend football at a Premiership Club, a League 2 club and a National League Club. The NL are newly promoted and getting crowds of 1200 pw. There's never been any trouble there to my knowledge, but now they can't sell alcohol during the game, which was an important income stream for them.

There is trouble in pubs across the country every weekend. No one thinks all pubs should be prevented from selling alcohol, but those who have repeated issues lose their licence. Why is football treated differently?

And the 5% of rugby or cricket fans? What do we do for them?

@Backedoffhackedoff
Possibly because most other sports don't have supporters who behave the way they do when drunk.

The issues don’t happen at men’s games. Because currently they can’t drink at their seats or during the game. You seem to be saying you believe they would be worse if alcohol was served during the game, or that it wouldn’t make any difference as they’re already trouble?

95% of football fans are capable of having a pint at their seat without chucking it or getting into a fight because of it.

It’s the 5% that can’t that this rule applies to and is needed for.

if some fans near the barrier with away fans, get riled they would end up lobbing their pint and you can’t have that.