Football set for MAJOR change on alcohol rules with trial set to be rolled out until the end of the season
- Trials will take place in four areas of the women’s championship
- In the top five of men’s football, drinking alcohol in the stands is prohibited
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Drinking will be tested in the stands at women’s football matches, a move that could lead to a change in the sport’s rules surrounding alcohol.
Drinking alcoholic beverages in the stands and in view of the field at men’s matches in the top five divisions has been prohibited since the 1985 Sports Events Act.
As such, fans found breaking the law can be punished with a ban from the grounds, handing over of large fans and, in extreme circumstances, a three-month prison sentence.
However, women’s football is not subject to the same restrictive legislation regarding alcohol consumption during matches.
As such, following discussions last year, trials will be held at selected competitions across the country, held from January 19 until the end of the season.
Proving grounds include Newcastle, Bristol City, Birmingham and Southampton, all of which take part in the championship.
During a trial event in the Women’s Championship, the ban on alcohol consumption in the stands will be temporarily lifted
The WSL is not governed by the 1985 law, but match rules still prohibit drinking from the stands
It was believed the stadiums had been selected because of their spread across the country, safety procedures and the fact that Bristol City’s Ashton Gate and Newcastle’s Kingston Park already see fans drinking in the stands at rugby matches.
There were no arrests at any women’s matches during 2024, which is in stark contrast to rising numbers at men’s matches, which saw 96 football-related arrests in 2023-2024.
“We’re testing that in a few teams in the Championship this season and we’ll see what we learn,” Women’s Professional League Ltd CEO Nikki Doucet said in October.
Doucet’s WPLL was established to run the Women’s Super League (WSL) and Women’s Championship, the two highest levels of women’s football in England.
“Our fan base and behavior is different than men,” she added.
“It’s about giving our fans choices while maintaining safety and accountability.”
Success in the trials could see the measures rolled out to wider women’s competitions, with the aim of becoming a permanent feature in the Championship and WSL.
The women’s game has its own rules against drinking from the stands, but rather than lobby parliament for a change in the law it would only have to change its own guidelines to bring about the change.
Nikki Doucet is the CEO of Women’s Professional Leagues Limited – the body responsible for the WSL and the Women’s Championship
As such, the path to a rule change is much easier than it seems for the men’s game to adopt a similar protocol.
Further success in this could then have a knock-on effect in the men’s game, with the possibility of a review of measures in different stadiums.
However, one might imagine that such an event would require a reduction in behavioral problems in men’s games, which could encourage further changes.
According to q report out in October The sunthe position of the police has not changed in relation to the men’s game, although they would have no ‘mechanism’ that would allow them to avoid the trial in women’s matches.