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Drinking in the stands- could it catch on?
Apparently they are trailing drinking in the stands at some football matches. https://metro.co.uk/2024/10/24/drinking-alcohol-stands-trialled-football-matches-england-21857579/#:~:text=Why%20are%20English%20football%20fans,to%20curb%20hooliganism%20in%201985.&text=The%20Sporting%20Events%20(Control%20of%20Alcohol%20etc.)
Do you reckon it would work?
Do you reckon it would work?
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I'm all for it, but I think you might need a drinking section. I love a beer, but folk asking me to get up every five minutes and spilling beer on me as they pass would soon get a bit trying. I might take one to my seat at the start of the game, but after that, age dictates that topping up with too much liquid would mean I'd miss half the game going in and out for a pee...6
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Of course it could work, same as safe standing works. I'd put a big caveat in and say anyone lobbing beer after a goal is rounded up and I get to kick them to death after the game29
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Football in this country is far too tribal , a lot of other sports have fans from different clubs in the same stand , and have quite a relaxed atmosphere, its not the be all and end all in life, and actually quite enjoyable to go to.
Hate to say it , and never thought i'd say it, but i prefer to go to watch other sports, where it is a bit more laid back , and not so intense.4 -
yes please0
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Given it is almost impossible to get a drink at half time, I doubt it will add more to drunkenness than already exists by people turning up pissed.2
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It's literally football in general, not quite fair to make in a British problem. Upto the 70s fans seemed to mix OK... and then very much not lol.Mendonca In Asdas said:Football in this country is far too tribal , a lot of other sports have fans from different clubs in the same stand , and have quite a relaxed atmosphere, its not the be all and end all in life, and actually quite enjoyable to go to.
Hate to say it , and never thought i'd say it, but i prefer to go to watch other sports, where it is a bit more laid back , and not so intense.1 -
the idea is it actually decreases this issue. the idea (which is probably flawed!) is that fans only get hammered before the game because they can’t drink during it. Not sure it would make much difference in that regard but would probably increase beer sales for the club, make concourses less packed and might reduce queuesSouthbank said:Given it is almost impossible to get a drink at half time, I doubt it will add more to drunkenness than already exists by people turning up pissed.1 -
When a goal is scored it is likely everybody gets soaked in the celebrations.
So the obvious thing to do in that scenario Mr Methven is to open a laundry/dry cleaning outlet in the fans area.7 -
Not sure I like the idea for the simple reason you will get idiots who throw beer up in the air when we score. Not a problem for me at home games where I sit, but away games?2
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Mendonca In Asdas said:Football in this country is far too tribal , a lot of other sports have fans from different clubs in the same stand , and have quite a relaxed atmosphere, its not the be all and end all in life, and actually quite enjoyable to go to.
Hate to say it , and never thought i'd say it, but i prefer to go to watch other sports, where it is a bit more laid back , and not so intense.- 11 October 2024
The Premiership is considering bringing in sections purely for away fans to heighten the atmosphere at top-flight matches.
Traditionally crowds have been unsegregated and, while mixing with opposition fans is one of rugby's attractions, it is thought that dedicated, concentrated away areas may encourage more noise.
"There are a number of clubs that are very keen to engage on that," said Premiership Rugby's chief growth officer Rob Calder.
"We've talked to them about identifying areas and getting the pricing, and communication right."
The proposal has been born out league-wide discussions on improving fan experience.
While it is not the norm, large groups of away fans have been seated together on occasion in the past.
Covid restrictions meant that Harlequins' travelling support was kept separate from home fans as they cheered their team to a famous comeback win over Bristol in the 2021 play-off semi-final at Ashton Gate.
IMAGE SOURCE, GETTY IMAGES
Image caption, Harlequins players salute their fans high in the Ashton Gate stands after an astonishing 43-36 extra-time victory over Bristol in 2021Former England head coach Sir Clive Woodward told the Daily Mail that he supported the plans.
"I can only see positives by having designated sections for away rugby fans in matches," he said.
"It will certainly add to the atmosphere and that, ultimately, is what it’s all about. It helps sell the product and grow rugby’s appeal."
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So they trialled it at some women’s second tier matches?
Hardly representative of whether it will “work” or not.They could have done a one and done by trialing it last night at The Den.3 -
My only experience of being able to do drink in the stands was in Toronto at TFC where I had season tickets for a few years....... there were 2 ways to get a beer during the game.
The first was to go to the back of the stand to the concessions where it was possible to get drinks and food throughout the game. To try and avoid half-time queues people mainly started to head down there from around 20 mins before half time until almost the end of the half time period, causing 'disruption' at the end of the first half and well into the second half.
The second was to get a drink from kids who would come into the aisles and seats in the stand and serve people from cool bags they carried over their shoulder. This happened at random times depending on the route the kids took and the disruption could be a little or a lot depending on how many people wanted serving in a particular area.
I started my season tickets sitting at an aisle end........ big mistake! My view of the pitch would be blocked by people going up and down the stairs to get to the concessions and the loo and by folks in my row who needed to get past for the same reason.
I had to wait until the next season to switch seats (it's all-seater there) and we chose seats bang in the middle of a row which cut down on how much the 'disruption' affected us......... no-one wanted to get past us to get to the aisle as we were the furthest from the aisle in either direction and the kids with the cool bags rarely came all the way to the middle of the row to sell their stuff.
Canadians are generally very well behaved and I never once experienced any beer-induced shenanigans. Most away fans were from U.S. teams and planes were the main way to get to an away game because of the very long distances....... so there weren't usually many away fans at all.
The 'disruption' can be a pain what with all the coming and going and my advice would be to think about getting seats in the middle of a row if you want to watch the game......... if you want to be able to get something to eat or drink during the game then please think about getting seats on the aisle ends.
I only once experienced beer throwing during the game and I'm afraid it was me who did it! It was years ago, well before throwing beer around became a thing.......... TFC scored, I jumped up to celebrate, completely forgetting I had a beer in my hand and it went all over a couple of people sitting behind me. I felt awful and they were very gracious about it....... and it was hot (MLS soccer is in the summer) so they did dry off quite quickly.......... and I bought them drinks and snacks at the next home game to say sorry.4 -
There are far too many coked-up dickheads in every football ground for this to work in England.24
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ElliotCAFC said:There are far too many coked-up dickheads in every football ground for this to work in England.
sadly I have to agree. Keep it to the concourses.ElliotCAFC said:There are far too many coked-up dickheads in every football ground for this to work in England.
what I would like to see if the removal of the legislation which means that you can’t drink within sight of the pitch, which leads to farcical situations like the curtains being shut at a certain time in the fans bar. That’s just nonsense.8 -
It's an archaic rule brought in when there was a real issue with antisocial behaviour at football.
I think the current rules encourage poor behaviour and it's in most peoples best interests to lift the ban.
I expect there will be a surge in those drinking in the stands when it's first lifted, but it'll revert back to its natural level after a few years.
Spectators were banned from drinking in the stands long before i'd even tried my first alcoholic drink.
From those who do remember, would beer go flying on the old days of drinking on the terraces?1 -
I agree I just cant see it working at football league level, on occasion I have gone to Welling Utd and its a treat to take the pint on to the concourse with you but I just can't see how they would avoid the problems that naturally come at bigger clubs. That said it doesnt stop anyone at Charlton now, on a few occassions this season I've been sat next/near to somepne drinking a can openly.1
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People didn't drink pints on the terraces in those days and at Charlton it was terraces apart from the West Stand.PopIcon said:It's an archaic rule brought in when there was a real issue with antisocial behaviour at football.
I think the current rules encourage poor behaviour and it's in most peoples best interests to lift the ban.
I expect there will be a surge in those drinking in the stands when it's first lifted, but it'll revert back to its natural level after a few years.
Spectators were banned from drinking in the stands long before i'd even tried my first alcoholic drink.
From those who do remember, would beer go flying on the old days of drinking on the terraces?1 -
A couple of seasons ago I saw someone smoking a fag and drinking a beer sat in their seat in the west upper.Radostanradical said:I agree I just cant see it working at football league level, on occasion I have gone to Welling Utd and its a treat to take the pint on to the concourse with you but I just can't see how they would avoid the problems that naturally come at bigger clubs. That said it doesnt stop anyone at Charlton now, on a few occassions this season I've been sat next/near to somepne drinking a can openly.1 -
Think this has happened in every match I’ve been to in the last 5 years or so. It doesn’t look that hard to get your drink past the stewardCAFCTrev said:
A couple of seasons ago I saw someone smoking a fag and drinking a beer sat in their seat in the west upper.Radostanradical said:I agree I just cant see it working at football league level, on occasion I have gone to Welling Utd and its a treat to take the pint on to the concourse with you but I just can't see how they would avoid the problems that naturally come at bigger clubs. That said it doesnt stop anyone at Charlton now, on a few occassions this season I've been sat next/near to somepne drinking a can openly.0 -
I've seen someone doing whilst standing up next to a steward!
My first thoughts (like a lot on here) were people throwing pints after a goal, so I'm against it for that reason.0 - Sponsored links:
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100% agree, and it would cause even more issues at away games (mainly the local ones).Friend Or Defoe said:I've seen someone doing whilst standing up next to a steward!
My first thoughts (like a lot on here) were people throwing pints after a goal, so I'm against it for that reason.0 -
About time, it’s absolutely ridiculous you can’t drink in your seat.0
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There's a massive difference between small non league grounds with plenty of space to stand and lots of space to walk around, and a packed away end at an EFL club. At the former, there's generally plenty of space to spread out and it's easy to move around so that people going to the bar aren't disturbing anyone else, whereas in a busy EFL away end, especially one with seating or even safe standing, it would get very irritating to have people trying to squeeze down rows while carrying several pints.
I like a pint, but do find it slightly odd how important the half time pint is to some fans, leaving well before the end of the first half, then coming back late.10 -
Wonder if a compromise will be that you can drink in the home end but not the away end0
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Not saying I think it’s a good compromise, just that it follows the pattern you’ve already laid outse9addick said:
Why?fenaddick said:Wonder if a compromise will be that you can drink in the home end but not the away endThe way away fans are treated at football matches is already ridiculous enough.0 -
Would it encourage larger attendances at Women's games?SuedeAdidas said:So they trialled it at some women’s second tier matches?
Hardly representative of whether it will “work” or not.They could have done a one and done by trialing it last night at The Den.1 -
I was a child of Selhurst, while my memory is hazy I'm sure the kiosk under the Sainsburys end sold beer (i might be wrong).Covered End said:
People didn't drink pints on the terraces in those days and at Charlton it was terraces apart from the West Stand.PopIcon said:It's an archaic rule brought in when there was a real issue with antisocial behaviour at football.
I think the current rules encourage poor behaviour and it's in most peoples best interests to lift the ban.
I expect there will be a surge in those drinking in the stands when it's first lifted, but it'll revert back to its natural level after a few years.
Spectators were banned from drinking in the stands long before i'd even tried my first alcoholic drink.
From those who do remember, would beer go flying on the old days of drinking on the terraces?
Was it just not fashionable to drink on the terraces or was beer not sold?0 -
I'm sure we did, early 70's drink and smoke in the Covered End.Covered End said:
People didn't drink pints on the terraces in those days and at Charlton it was terraces apart from the West Stand.PopIcon said:It's an archaic rule brought in when there was a real issue with antisocial behaviour at football.
I think the current rules encourage poor behaviour and it's in most peoples best interests to lift the ban.
I expect there will be a surge in those drinking in the stands when it's first lifted, but it'll revert back to its natural level after a few years.
Spectators were banned from drinking in the stands long before i'd even tried my first alcoholic drink.
From those who do remember, would beer go flying on the old days of drinking on the terraces?0 -
Both really.PopIcon said:
I was a child of Selhurst, while my memory is hazy I'm sure the kiosk under the Sainsburys end sold beer (i might be wrong).Covered End said:
People didn't drink pints on the terraces in those days and at Charlton it was terraces apart from the West Stand.PopIcon said:It's an archaic rule brought in when there was a real issue with antisocial behaviour at football.
I think the current rules encourage poor behaviour and it's in most peoples best interests to lift the ban.
I expect there will be a surge in those drinking in the stands when it's first lifted, but it'll revert back to its natural level after a few years.
Spectators were banned from drinking in the stands long before i'd even tried my first alcoholic drink.
From those who do remember, would beer go flying on the old days of drinking on the terraces?
Was it just not fashionable to drink on the terraces or was beer not sold?
The only bar at The Valley was the most basic of bars ie a counter with bottles in crates behind.
There may have been taps, but I don't recall them.
The only ones that mainly frequented were the Charlton crew/hard nuts etc.
I used to get the occasional beer, but it never entered my head to take it out.3
