Football fans have not been able to drink alcohol from their seats in almost 40 years, however a trial event in the Women’s Championship is set to see that ban temporarily lifted.
Alcohol is prohibited from being consumed in the stands at football grounds across the country in men’s football from the Premier League down to the National League.
Similarly, divisions below the fifth-tier of English football are not beholden to such legislation, and fans may drink alcoholic beverages within sight of the pitch if they so wish.
Such has been the law since an Act introduced in 1985, contravention of which can result in hefty fines and stadium bans.
However, a trial event is slated for ‘a couple of teams’ in the Women’s Championship later this season.
A trial event in the Women’s Championship is set to see the ban on alcohol being consumed in the stands temporarily lifted
The WSL is not subject to the 1985 Act, however the competition’s rules still ban drinking from the stands
The law against alcohol being consumed inside the stadium from the stands does not apply to women’s football matches, and the CEO of Women’s Professional Leagues Limited has revealed that ‘testing’ is set to take place.
‘We are testing that actually in a couple of teams in the Championship this season and we’ll see what we learn from it,’ Nikki Doucet said at the Leaders Week event at Allianz Arena.
‘Our fan base and the behaviour is different to the men’s game.
‘It is about giving our fans choices while maintaining safety and being responsible.’
The women’s game does have its own rules against drinking from the stands, but rather than lobby parliament for a change to the law, it would only have to alter its own guidelines to bring about the change.
Doucet’s WPLL has been set up to run the Women’s Super League (WSL) and Women’s Championship, the top two tiers of women’s football in England.
Among other things, Doucet also spoke of the profile of women’s sport in the country, and how we could look across the Atlantic for inspiration in growing the game.
‘When I look at what the NBA [National Basketball Association] is doing [in the United States] and the respect they are showing to the WNBA — that’s very authentic,’ she said.
‘They know they are great basketball players and I’d like to see more of that [towards the WSL]. These are elite athletes who are very inspiring.’
Doucet also added that the current homegrown player regulations could be changed moving forward, pointing to the smaller talent pool available to clubs to draw from in the UK.
Currently, WSL clubs must all have at least eight homegrown players, i.e those that have been on the books for at least three seasons before their 21st birthday.
‘Women’s football has a smaller talent pool globally and it is crucial we have investment to give access to girls to play football. It is something we are looking at and it is being worked on,’ she added.
