Not selling alcohol at football is not "discrimination"

England - the WSL.
They allow you to take drinks to the stands and seats.

It’s not discrimination, but a drink at half time, at men’s football, with a pie/whatever is part of the tradition. 👍

I’ve never watched women’s football, so I haven’t got a clue what they do. 🤷‍♀️. I’ve been to hundreds of London derbies, plus England matches, without incident.

It won’t stop drunkenness - no one pays football ground prices for all drinks - they go in Wetherspoons pubs beforehand.

The old hooliganism of the 80’s has long gone. 👍

But chicken and egg isn’t it- do football fans sometimes behave like that because of the way they’re treated? Look at hillsborough

I could send a pic from the last Ligue 1 match I attended of a beer and the pitch last time my home team played PSG (Ultras in tow) but I'm not really sure it proves anything

Is that Scotland or England, the laws are different.

Decades ago I worked at football, preseason friendly I think it was Newcastle fans were asking for the bar. Which doesn't exist in Scottish grounds.

It's funny how all these issues don't seem to happen at the women's game. I wonder what the common denominator is?

I’ve been to all manner of sports matches and I’ve got to say the football supporters are the worst tempered. So alcohol at stadiums won’t mix with those tempers flared. I was glad to leave the last match as it was getting heated amongst the actual supporters 🙄
Prefer the atmosphere at rugby and cricket, it’s a lot more sportsmanship like.
It’s not discrimination, it’s historical. My friend’s dh was attacked at a tube station a few years ago when they left a football match. I just don’t think it’s a good idea.

I don't particularly have an opinion on the 'discrimination' argument but what baffles me is that, being PM and all the possible causes you could take up in the early days of your premiership, this is one he's chosen to support. Surely there are more important, pressing matters. I know not every policy change has to be a 'big' one, but there must be more impactful, important 'little' ones than this?!

I alwas send my football fanatic colleague a picture of my pint and the pitch when I go to the rugby, it's a silly joke we have.

I've ben to hundreds of rugby games where alcohol is served and never seen a fight. Disagreements are normally resolved quickly.

Football has an awful reputation unfortunately, and alcohol fuels that

He's a compete plank.

I agree with you @KassandraOfSparta

So does my husband. He’s a season ticket holder who enjoys a pint pre match and at half time. No need for people to have access to buying alcohol all throughout the game though. It was banned from being sold during matches for a reason. Better behaviour from fans if they aren’t drinking loads for hours.

You two are the discrimination he’s talking about.

It’s discrimination because those rules (which as you say, may be sensible) don’t apply to other professional sports

@Nutmuncher

especially the rougher clubs with strong established firms.

Well that's pretty much what the Ultras are that have been attached to some European clubs for years...and yet generally European police/stewarding manages to handle them in the grounds and also allow the majority of fans to drink some alcohol if they want to..

The first time you attended those sort of matches as a Brit used to the UK rules it can come as a bit of a shock, "Beer and football....the world will end"...but usually the worse you suffer is a severe case of tinnitus from all the banging of drums that the Ultras insist on inflicting.on everyone.

Exactly this. Alcohol in that mix of people is never going to be plain sailing, especially the rougher clubs with strong established firms. It’s going to shift football from being family friendly to a day time piss up.

You are arguing legal technicalities in what is, after all, a political discussion.

YABU.

I support a women's team. They have standing area. And you can take alcohol into the stands/seats. They just don't serve it while the game is on.

@notimagain
I experienced this in Rome at a Lazio V German team i cannot remember. It was great to enjoy a pint or two whilst enjoying the game. However, the very lively German team supporters were pretty penned into their corner and flanked on all sides by security.

I feel there's plenty of booze available before and after a match so I dont think its discrimination until everyone can learn to behave themselves.
We should review these laws for sure, as times change, but sadly it's always a minority who make life tricky for the majority.

In a crowded stadium, people getting wild and maybe drunk is far harder to police than in a wide open space. Scared people have nowhere to run and trouble can escalate fast.

I'm watching this issue with interest. My family enjoy attending local footie matches. The last thing I need is them getting swept up in a drunken brawl. Or being unable to leave a stadium fast enough.

It also goes back to a time of stadiums which were predominantly standing.
They are now all seated.

Not now, some teams have 'safe standing' seating. For example, this is from Molineux (Wolverhampton)

Also plenty of places to buy beer before the matches

It also goes back to a time of stadiums which were predominantly standing.
They are now all seated.

Scotland doesn't sell drink in the grounds, unless your in a hospitality box, using some weird get around rules attached to that.

But its also known fans will fill up in the pubs before the games. So maybe it will encourage more responsible drinking if its no longer banned.

Ive been to Madrid football stadium

There are sellers that have beer barrels on their backs & serve beer in plastic glasses at your seat

The vendor system they use locally generally avoids the sloshed drink problem - beer is brought to you, you're not barging through crowds with it...it also acts as a bit of a limiter because the vendors aren't omni-present.

I've sat through a few European equivalents of top Prem matches and not seen probs, and that includes matches involving teams with a supposedly notorious Ultra element of fans.

Since the Ultras self identify they get fenced in and policed/monitored...the other 90% plus of the crowd can enjoy a drink (if they feel like it) and the match.

So do you think that instead it should be extended to all venues?

I’ve been thinking about this for a few hours now and it’s quite a fascinating subject.

the background of the law against drinking in stands is routed in a response to hooliganism. Is that appropriate now? There are still old fashioned ideas about football fans but as far as I know no current evidence that they can’t drink in stands vs cricket or rugby fans