Ending football drink ban could bring increased risk over safety, report warns

Allowing alcohol to be sold to fans at football grounds would bring an “increased risk” in relation to safety and public disorder – while there is “uncertainty” over whether clubs would make a profit, a report has found.

Research by the University of Stirling looked at the possible impact of allowing the sale of alcohol more widely inside football grounds.

Currently alcohol is only available within hospitality areas, and cannot be consumed while watching a match – with the legislation on this brought in in the 1980s in a bid to curb football-related violence and disorder.

However, documents last week showed Police Scotland and the Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) are “open to discussions” on the issue of lifting the ban.

The Stirling University study – which was based on research funded by the Scottish Football Association (SFA) and SPFL – concluded: “Permitting alcohol to be on general sale in football stadia brings increased risk in relation to fan safety and public disorder.”

The report said this level of risk would be “greatly dependent on the individual match and based on factors such as crowd size, category of match and time of kick-off”.

It went on to note the “long-term effects of increasing the availability of alcohol, and its links to increased consumption and health harms” would be “at odds with the Scottish Government’s aims to reduce the societal normalisation of alcohol and reduce overall alcohol consumption”, as laid it out its 2018 Alcohol Framework.

The report also found that while lifting the alcohol ban at football could “bring additional income for clubs”, there is “uncertainty over whether clubs would make any profit”.

It said this was due to the “considerable investment” that would be needed for “mitigation measures” such as crowd management, as well as meeting licensing standards, and additional risk management criteria.

First Minister John Swinney has already made clear he is “not sympathetic” to allowing alcohol to be sold more widely at football games.

Health campaigners at Alcohol Focus Scotland said the new report is an “own goal” for football authorities.

Chief executive Alison Douglas said: “This SFA and SPFL-funded study is an own goal.

“Far from making the case for lifting the alcohol ban in stadia, it surely kicks it into touch.

“Not only could making alcohol more available at matches increase risks to fan safety and public disorder, it would be a major step in the wrong direction when it comes to people’s health.

“Scotland is in the grip of an alcohol health emergency, with alcohol deaths having just reached a 15-year high – and we expect these grim figures to persist in the coming years due to the lasting impact of the pandemic on people’s drinking patterns.

“Increasing the availability of alcohol results in increased consumption, which translates to increased harm.

“This study shows that the case for changing the law to allow alcohol in Scottish football grounds would be weak at any time but increasing availability of alcohol in the current context would be plain wrong.”

Adding that “many” football clubs run health initiatives for fans, Ms Douglas said: “Encouraging alcohol consumption runs completely counter to these goals.

“There’s a real opportunity for football to show leadership by re-evaluating the sport’s relationship with alcohol more broadly, by demonstrating that fans don’t need alcohol to enjoy the match, and ensuring their sport is truly open to all, family friendly and health-promoting.”

Dr Richard Purves, who led the research, said it had “aimed to explore the issues which would need to be considered in a pilot trialling the general sale of alcohol at Scottish football grounds”.

He added: “We conducted interviews with stakeholders involved in matchday safety, public health, and alcohol licensing and conducted site visits at various stadiums in Scotland and England.

“Concerns were raised that increasing access to alcohol could lead to increased risk of violence and disorder, encourage higher levels of drinking, and further embed alcohol as a normal part of football culture.

“One of the biggest concerns was how this could affect children and young fans, exposing them to more drinking and alcohol marketing at matches.

“With football already closely linked to alcohol sponsorship and advertising, stakeholders stressed the need for caution before any changes are made to existing legislation.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We have no plans to change the ban on alcohol sales at Scottish football grounds.

“We regularly meet with the Scottish Professional Football League to discuss a wide range of issues, including the sale and consumption of alcohol at football matches. We will continue to engage with the football authorities, supporters’ groups and clubs on ways to enhance the fan experience.”