BILLY BREMNER MEMORIAL JOIN OUR CAMPAIGN
Date: 6th March 2025
If you are old enough to remember the 1980 Cup final riot, when Celtic and Rangers fans fought a pitched battle at Hampden and the mounted police swept the warring supporters from the field with a cavalry charge, you’ll know why alcohol was banned in Scottish football grounds thereafter. However, that was then and this is now. There is a move to allow fans to drink inside football grounds as they used to (way) back in the day. The football authorities and many clubs are broadly supportive, the Scottish government is not, as far as we can see, dismissing it totally out of hand and the fans, well, it’s time see what you think….
Three years ago, the SFSA conducted a piece of research which asked fans if they wanted the law changed again so that alcoholic drinks could be consumed inside grounds. Some 72% said they did, with 24% against and 4% not sure. Now, that means that nearly a quarter were against it, but it also means the majority were for it, so where are we today? Well, we are going to conduct another piece of research, asking some of the same questions as previously, plus some new ones. We have consulted with the SPFL on the questions but must stress that we are responsible for the final study, albeit we shall, of course, share the results with the SFA, SPFL, the media and the politicians who form (with us) the Scottish Government Round Table on Enhancing Scottish Football.
There are obviously arguments for and against. One of the most compelling, to my mind, is the fact that I, as a St Johnstone fan, can go into the Muirton Suite in the main stand at McDiarmid Park before a game and drink as much as I want, before leaving through the same door I entered, turning right and walking up the stairs before going into the stand and taking my seat. The only difference a change in the law would make is that I would be able to walk through a door directly into the stand, rather than have to go outside to come back in again. That’s daft.
Similarly, if I were to attend a rugby match at Hampden on a Friday evening, I could have a drink in the stands, but if I return the next day to watch Queen’s Park then I can’t. That doesn’t make sense to me.
Now, let’s not beat about the bush. There is an elephant in the room here. Actually, there are a couple of elephants, so it’s quite a crowded room, but it’s the room in which the politicians live and they are the only people who can change the law. The first of these pachyderms is the public health issue that is alcohol misuse. Us Scots do have a wee bit of a reputation in this respect. There is not doubt that football does not want to be seen to encourage drinking to excess, with the concomitant risk of fan violence that this engenders.
The other, arguably far bigger elephant is the Old Firm. It was that game in 1980 that led to the banning of alcohol in grounds and, let’s not kid ourselves, there is no way the police are going to allow Celtic and Rangers’ fans to drink in a ground prior to an Old Firm match. The same, it must be said, probably applies to some of the other big derbies, such as Hearts v Hibs, and a few high risk games (Aberdeen v Rangers comes to mind). Those games apart, it seems to me that the vast majority of fans would enjoy the chance to have a drink in their ground before a match.
The way ahead, depending on what our survey results say and what the politicians decide, may well involve a trial of low-risk matches. Also, high risk matches such as Old Firm encounters, can surely not be considered for drinks licences within their respective grounds (or at Hampden). Common sense should prevail. Also, I believe that self-policing amongst fans is the surest way to success. With the SPFL taking action against the clubs involved in the pyro displays at the semi-finals and final of the League Cup, the vast majority of supporters now have a reason to call out behaviour that might prevent them from watching their team in the future. We applaud the SPFL in this respect: they seem to have got the balance right and we hope that the prospect of losing ticket allocations will bring a halt to behaviour that most fans deplore. Wouldn’t it be great if, in ten years, time, having drink at a football match, in a social and enjoyable manner was regarded as the norm, rather than a precursor to violence?
Let us know your views: you can take our survey here: https://app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/s-f-s-a/alcohol-in-football-grounds-2025
Alastair Blair, Director of Operations, SFSA
Posted in: Latest News
Tags: alcohol in grounds