Prime minister Andy Burnham has renewed his call for the ban on drinking alcohol within sight of the pitch at men’s football matches to be reviewed, arguing that football supporters are treated unfairly compared with spectators at other sports. He said a trial could be one route to testing change. Government sources said no consultation was currently planned, while a trial or pilot was not ruled out.
Speaking to reporters while travelling to New York, Burnham said he had restated a long-held personal view rather than unveiled a policy change. Government sources said the remarks were a restatement of Burnham’s long-held view rather than a policy announcement.
A 1985 restriction remains in force
The Sporting Events (Control of Alcohol etc) Act 1985 prevents alcohol being consumed in view of the pitch at grounds in the top five tiers of men’s football in England and Wales. The legislation was introduced amid concerns about hooliganism during the 1980s.
Burnham said he believed the law reflected a period when football was different and that there was a case for ending what he described as unequal treatment of football fans. He suggested that a trial might provide a way forward, while maintaining that he would not retreat from his established position.
The argument for reconsideration is not new. The 2021 fan-led review of football governance recommended that the restriction be re-examined and proposed considering pilots involving the sale of alcohol within sight of the pitch in lower-tier English football.
There is also a current example from the women’s game. The Football Supporters’ Association said successful pilots had taken place in women’s football. The BBC reported that Women’s Super League clubs are now allowed to offer alcohol to supporters in the stands following successful trials.
The Guardian reported that the women’s regulations changed following successful trials, allowing clubs to offer alcohol in view of the pitch rather than requiring them to do so. That development concerns the women’s game and does not alter the statutory restriction applying to the specified levels of men’s football in England and Wales. It is nevertheless part of the evidence cited by the FSA in favour of reconsideration.
Supporter and league backing meets policing concern
The FSA backed a review, with its chair Tom Greatrex arguing that it was unfair for football fans to face criminalisation for drinking while watching a match when people attending rugby league or concerts could drink from the same seats. Greatrex said many clubs supported change and that the association wanted to contribute to any consultation.
The English Football League also said it would be receptive to a review. Its spokesperson said the legislation had not kept pace with developments in stadium management, safety and stewarding over more than four decades. The EFL response adds another voice in favour of a review, but it is not a government policy announcement or an agreed legislative plan.
Those positions focus on whether the different treatment of football spectators remains justified in modern matchday settings. The comments supplied by the FSA and EFL backed a review but did not set out an agreed legislative plan. Burnham’s suggestion of a trial and the earlier fan-led review’s reference to lower-tier pilots instead point to testing as one option raised in the debate, rather than an agreed next step.
The UK Football Policing Unit took the opposing view. Its spokesperson said any proposed relaxation would create challenges for policing and for the safety of staff and supporters. The unit said that, although disorder involved a minority of football followers, alcohol could play a significant part in violent and disorderly behaviour.
It said fundamental changes would be rash without a full assessment of evidence and meaningful consultation with police practitioners. The policing body also referred to safety-related legislative changes following football tragedies and the Taylor Report, arguing that those measures had been introduced for good reason.
Burnham and the FSA argue football supporters should not be treated differently from spectators at other events, while the UKFPU says any change requires evidence and consultation. The present positions leave the 1985 restriction in force, with government sources saying no consultation was currently planned and not ruling out a trial or pilot.