PM Hopeful Calls Stadium Alcohol Ban Outdated
The long-standing ban on football fans drinking alcohol while watching the match from their seats could be reviewed after Labour leadership frontrunner Andy Burnham described the current law as “wrong.”
Alcohol has been banned from being consumed in view of the pitch at football matches since 1985, when the measure was introduced to help tackle football hooliganism. However, campaigners have increasingly argued that the restriction is outdated and unfair, pointing out that spectators at rugby, cricket and other major sporting events are allowed to drink in their seats.
Burnham, a lifelong Everton supporter, raised the issue while attending a rugby league match at Everton’s Hill Dickinson Stadium. In a video shared on social media, he pointed to Liverpool Mayor Steve Rotherham holding a pint and questioned why rugby fans could drink in the stands while football supporters could not.
“How come these lads can do that in my seat here when we can’t do that at an Everton home game?” Burnham said. “There’s something wrong there. We need to take a look at that.”
Burnham is widely expected to become the UK’s next Prime Minister later this month after receiving overwhelming backing from Labour MPs to succeed Sir Keir Starmer. With no rival candidates currently declared, attention is turning to the policies he could pursue in government.
Among those welcoming Burnham’s comments was Labour MP Luke Charters, who has been campaigning to overturn the ban. Charters argued that the restriction is an outdated legacy of the 1980s and unfairly singles out football supporters.
He said fans should be treated in the same way as spectators at other sporting events, noting that supporters can enjoy a drink while watching rugby at the same stadium but are prohibited from doing so during football matches.
Campaigners believe lifting the ban would modernise football regulations and bring the sport into line with other major sporting events across the UK and internationally. Any change would require the Government to amend existing legislation, with supporters hoping Burnham’s backing could help move the debate forward.
