Alcohol can be a great way to enjoy a sport's match. It can numb the mind if a match is getting boring and for the adults obviously, it can be a great way to socialise with others.
That's the good part. The bad part is the potential hooliganisms that can take place. It's because of this that the UK banned the substance in 1985. The good news is that there is talk of the prime minister lifting the ban.
Andy Burnham has signalled he may lift the ban on drinking alcohol in the stands at football matches, suggesting it is “unfair” for fans to be singled out when it is permitted for other sports.
The prime minister, a committed Everton fan who still attends matches, said there was a case for trialling an end to the ban to bring football in line with rugby and cricket.
The move was welcomed by the Football Supporters’ Association and the English Football League, but police warned it would be "incredibly rash" to make changes without considering their impact on safety.
Burnham has long opposed the ban, saying it is discriminatory and out of date, harking back to an era when football violence was fuelled by drinking within view of the pitch.
Asked by reporters on the plane to New York about lifting a ban, Burnham said: "I don’t think it’s fair for football fans to be singled out in that way and I made that point. I think that legislation dates to an era where football was very different. And I do believe there is a case to remove that discrimination."
"There are different ways it could be done, perhaps on a trial basis. But I’m not going to back away from what’s been a long-held view of mine. I don’t see how it can be fair that some supporters of one sport can be treated differently."
The Sporting Events (Control of Alcohol etc) Act 1985 prohibits drinking in sight of the pitch in England and Wales.
The fan-led review of football governance in 2021 called for the ban to be re-examined and suggested piloting the sale of alcohol within sight of the pitch in lower-tier English football.
It's now 41 years since alcohol was controversially banned in the stands at football matches in England and Wales. Two generations of fans have never known any different; becoming accustomed to getting their drinks in before games, at half-time and in the pub afterwards.
The Labour Party leader, himself an avid football fan, recently branded the legislation 'unfair', 'outdated' and 'discriminatory'; heavily hinting that he would push for the ban to be lifted.
Even if there is a thirst for change among fans, politicians and football chiefs alike, just how realistic - or necessary - would it be to see pints return to the terraces at the highest levels of the English game?
Much of the criticism of the ban on alcohol in the stands in England is rooted in the widely-held view that the law was too hastily cobbled together by Margaret Thatcher's hardline Conservative government back in 1985.
It came in response to the violence that marred an infamous FA Cup clash between Luton and Millwall in March of that year. Ugly scenes in the away end at Kenilworth Road halted play for 25 minutes in the first half; before a riot broke out at full-time as chairs were ripped up and supporters clashed with the police.
The Heysel Stadium disaster followed two months later in the Belgian capital Brussels, where 39 people - mostly Italian Juventus fans - were killed and 600 injured in a crush after crowd trouble culminated in a charge by Liverpool fans before the European Cup final. The deadly incident resulted in all English clubs being banned from European competition for five years.
By that point, hooliganism had already been a scourge on British football for many years and Thatcher's government attributed a significant chunk of the blame to excessive alcohol consumption.
Under pressure to act following the violence in 1985, the Sporting Events (Control of Alcohol etc.) Act was rushed through parliament, among other measures aimed at tackling violence, banning alcohol from football grounds in England and Wales.
The legislation has been amended since, but in its current guise it still bans drunken entry into a stadium, the consumption of alcohol within view of the pitch and the consumption of alcohol on certain forms of transport travelling to a match.
Despite the ban, alcohol still forms part of the matchday ritual for a significant portion of fans attending games
While English football's era of no-holds-barred hooliganism has passed - a result of other stringent government legislation like the Football (Disorder) Act 2000; changing attitudes and improvements to policing and stadium infrastructure - it would be remiss to claim that alcohol (and drunkenness) doesn't still form a significant part of the matchday experience, despite the ban.
Given they are unable to drink on the terraces, many match-going fans will instead make a ritual of looking for any opportunity to intoxicate themselves in the build-up to or after a match; with home supporters packing the pubs around any given ground and those travelling using the entire journey, from whatever ungodly hour in the morning, to get the drinks in.
At the match, for those who want to avoid sobering up, half-time has become a race to get as many pints down you as possible on the concourse before dashing back to your seat in time for the restart, via the toilet.
While the majority of games will be trouble-free on a large scale, there are still plenty of examples of disorder where drunkenness will have been a factor.
The most infamous incident in recent memory came at the final of Euro 2020, which was marred by hundreds of ticketless fans forcing their way past stewards and security staff to get into the Wembley stands to watch England's showdown with Italy; leading to violent clashes on the stadium concourses.
At the time, FA chief executive Mark Bullingham labelled the offenders "drunken yobs," with 86 people arrested and 19 Metropolitan Police officers injured in flashpoints across London.
According to Home Office statistics released during the summer, the number of matches where "football-related anti-social behaviour, violence and disorder" were reported to the police reached record numbers in 2025-26, up four percent on the previous season (1 644 games; up from 1 580).
The number of football banning orders issued, barring anyone convicted of a football-related crime from attending matches, reached its highest level since 2012.
Close to 50% of police actions and arrests actually took place outside stadiums, reflecting that alcohol isn't only a problem within the confines of a ground on matchday.
It's worth noting that, according to the BBC, government sources claimed Burnham was reiterating his opinion on the matter, rather than making any sort of announcement. The comments are not being perceived as an indication that he will necessarily attempt to change the legislation. However, it seems there is appetite - or thirst - for a change.
Both the Premier League and EFL have hinted at an openness to discussing a change to the rules
Premier League CEO, Richard Masters, has indicated a willingness to at least having a conversation with the Prime Minister, which could be a significant step towards the ban being lifted.
"Forever and a day we haven't felt the time is right to take that move," he told Sky News recently. "It would be interesting to have that discussion with [Burnham]. We haven't got a specific view on that topic and we'd need to give it some really careful thought. It goes back a long way to some quite serious issues the game had. Maybe now the time is right to start that discussion, but we don't have a clear view."
The EFL has shown even more of an openness to the change. "The EFL would be receptive to discussions around reviewing the current legislation and permitting alcoholic drinks within view of the pitch, a position that is consistent with the views of our member clubs, who have previously provided the league with a mandate to lobby for appropriate reform in this area," a spokesperson told Sky News.
"The legislation was introduced more than 40 years ago and has not kept pace with significant developments in stadium management, safety and stewarding. Applying a blanket ban to all supporters is not proportionate to the level of risk associated with alcohol consumption at the vast majority of EFL fixtures, which are categorised as low risk."
Not all supporters are in favour of a return of beer to the stands, which they feel could present other issues
You might think that fans would be universally in favour of the ban being lifted, but the potential change in the law has highlighted a difference in opinion among England's match-going supporters.
In a statement, Football Supporters' Association (FSA) chairman, Tom Greatrex, said: "The FSA has always argued that it's unfair to criminalise football fans for having a pint while watching the match - especially since you can sit in the same seat drinking alcohol while watching an Oasis gig or rugby league. We totally agree that the legislation is outdated and deserves to be reviewed."
However, others argue the issue is more nuanced, both in terms of the practicalities and the implications of a more drunken crowd. Speaking to GOAL, Arsenal season-ticket holder, Max, said: "I'm not in favour of the ban being lifted. Because football is a constant flow sports, not like an American sport, not staccato, people constantly getting up could cause some disruption to people's experience of the game."
"I also think that alcohol obviously is an inhibitor, [it] allows bad behaviour - football's an emotional sport. I think that can be a cauldron for people acting out and in a negative way, and it could lead to some spectators feeling unsafe. People do drink now and I think it's fine as is and I don't think it needs to have much change."
"It probably actually only benefits the owners and the vendors because it's more about them turning a profit than it is about truly changing the matchday experience. You've got more vendors, and it underlines the commerciality of everything. At the Emirates, for example, there is a vendor on every corner, you could get properly tanked up."
"At Highbury, you had maybe two or three in a row on each stand, so there would be a considerably bigger queue. So the fact that you've got less queue, even though it's a bigger stadium, [there is] potential for more people getting absolutely blitzed."
Max does, however, agree with the point that it's unfair to discriminate against football fans: "Rugby allows drinking in the stands. For it to be one rule for one and another for the rest, I think that's probably just a classist perspective, that you can at rugby, but you can't do that at football."
The authorities are also concerned that alcohol's return to the terraces could drag English football back to the dark days of the 1970s and 80s; when violence and disorder within stadiums was rife. Speaking to the BBC, a UK Football Policing Unit (UKFPU) spokesman warned of the potential "challenges" to policing and the "safety of staff and fans at football games".
"Other sports simply don't see the violence and criminal behaviour from their supporters that football does, albeit a minority, with alcohol often playing a significant part in violent and disorderly behaviour," he said. "It would be irresponsible to fuel this by allowing greater alcohol consumption during games."
The representative added that it would be "incredibly rash to make fundamental changes without a full examination of the evidence and meaningful consultation with police practitioners who have the expertise in this area."
From the perspective of the police, a big part of the problem is that incredibly wealthy football clubs don't help to fund policing outside their stadiums on matchdays, at a significant cost to the taxpayer.
Burnham has been accused of prioritising the return of alcohol to the stands over other more serious issues affecting English football.
Burnham has also been accused of overlooking other significant problems around football and the matchday experience by seemingly zoning in on the return of beer to the stands.
"At a time when working-class fans are being priced out of their season tickets, racist, sexist, homophobic online abuse is ever-present, and figures at the very top of the game - such as Jim Ratcliffe - use their platform to push deeply divisive politics, it feels out of touch to make the right to drink a pint in your seat a headline example of football discrimination," broadcaster and content creator Marva Kreel wrote in The Guardian recently.
"And that's not to deny discrimination of working-class fans, but this is a problem that runs much deeper in the game. And if the old assumption is that football fans are uniquely likely to cause trouble when alcohol is involved, lifting the ban doesn't automatically remove that belief. It's possible these biases will show up in how games are policed, with a heavy pre-emptive police and security presence."
That perspective is backed up by the statistics: according to the Home Office, "hate crime" was the type of incident most commonly reported to the police last season; arising at as many as 491 matches. There were reports of sexist behaviour at 22 games and violence against women at 37. There is a very solid case that the availability of alcohol on the terraces would exacerbate these grim problems.
Alcohol is now available in the stands in the WSL after a successful trial but there is no guarantee that success would translate to men's football
With a review of the law seemingly on the agenda on the men's side of the game, women's football has already demonstrated the possibilities; as of the start of this season, all Women's Super League (WSL) clubs are now allowed to offer alcohol in the stands.
That significant relaxation of the rules follows two years of successful trials. In 2025-26, 20 clubs permitted alcohol in your seat at 29 venues and across 190 fixtures in the WSL and the second-tier WSL 2.
However, Kreel believes that fruitful testing in women's football does not guarantee universal success if the ban is lifted. "The women's game is not simply the men's game with fewer people in the stands," she writes. "The matchday experience is different - and that's important when we talk about what works."
According to government statistics, there were only four arrests all season across the women's game in 2025-26.
It could be some time before Burnham's dream of an end to the 'discriminatory' ban on alcohol in the stands becomes a reality.
The nuanced nature of the debate surrounding the ban suggests we shouldn't expect a quick resolution, even if the Prime Minister has voiced his opposition to the legislation in its current guise.
Sky News has gone as far as claiming the reform has already been quietly shelved and is "never going to happen," after Burnham was advised by government officials that lifting the ban would give police forces grounds to insist that policing matches is no longer financially viable through taxation, throwing the burden onto clubs, who supposedly would not be able to foot the bill.
Chief constable Mark Roberts, the lead for football policing in England and Wales, told The Guardian in the summer: "Under the current system multibillion-pound football clubs do not have to pay a penny towards the policing outside their grounds. This means that taxpayers are left footing the £70m bill each season, which simply cannot continue."
Indeed, Arsenal fan Max believes Burnham was trying to curry favour among a certain section of society when he spoke about wanting to change the law. "I think it's a bit of a political football, pardon the pun, by Burnham to play to a potential base of people," he told GOAL. "I don't really think it will improve the matchday experience much."
According to the BBC, the idea of following the lead of the WSL and introducing a trial or pilot scheme to understand the viability of changing the law "is not being ruled out." However, a broader move towards reintroducing alcohol in the stands "would require extensive consultation involving football clubs, fans and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport".
Crucially, despite Burnham's bullish words, none of that is currently planned, meaning that, in reality, it could be some time before we witness pints back on the terraces in the Premier League and further down the men's English football pyramid.
For many football fans, game day means more than watching four quarters of football. It is a full-day experience filled with friends; family; team colours; music; grilled food and a tailgate before kickoff. Traditionally, alcohol has been a big part of that picture. But what if you skipped it?
It can create an entirely different experience, one that leaves you more present, energised and ready to enjoy every part of the day. Here are seven reasons your next tailgate might be better without alcohol.
Football game days can be packed with moments that are easy to miss. There are conversations with friends you haven't seen in months; pre-game traditions; tailgate games; the anticipation before kick-off and the excitement of a close game. Alcohol can make it harder to stay fully engaged, particularly as the day goes on and drinks accumulate. An alcohol-free game day gives you the opportunity to experience the entire event with a clear head.
Instead of trying to remember what happened the next morning, you can actually remember the joke, the big plays; the celebrations and the conversations that made the day special.
Game days often start early and last well into the evening. Tailgating may begin hours before kick-off, followed by the game itself and potentially post-game celebrations. Drinking can contribute to dehydration and leave some people feeling tired or sluggish.
By choosing alcohol-free beverages and staying hydrated; you can help maintain steadier energy throughout the day. That can be particularly valuable if you're planning to spend several hours outdoors, participate in tailgate games, walk around a stadium, or travel to and from the game.
When alcohol isn't the centerpiece of a tailgate; there is more room for other activities to take center stage. Set up a cornhole tournament. Organise a football trivia competition. Have everyone make predictions about the game. Bring a grill and turn the food into its own event.
Put on team music and encourage everyone to wear their favourite jerseys. These activities can create a more inclusive environment for people who don't drink; are taking a break from alcohol, are in recovery, or simply don't feel like drinking.
The result can be a tailgate where the shared experience (not the contents of everyone's cup) is what brings people together.
Overindulgence can turn an otherwise enjoyable game day into an uncomfortable one. Arguments; embarrassing behaviour; missed moments; and poor decisions can all take away from the experience. Going alcohol-free removes one potential source of those problems.
You can cheer loudly; debate questionable referee calls; celebrate a goal and passionately defend your team's chances without worrying about whether you've had too much to drink.
You also won't have to piece together the day's events afterward. For many fans, remembering the game clearly is part of what makes attending or watching it worthwhile.
Transportation is an important consideration whenever alcohol is part of a social event. Someone has to remain sober enough to drive or the group needs to arrange another way home. An alcohol-free tailgate makes that equation much simpler.
You don't have to co-ordinate around who is drinking and who isn't. You can drive yourself, use public transportation, take a rideshare or make whatever other transportation arrangements work for your group without alcohol affecting the decision.
Of course, if anyone does drink, they should never drive afterward or get into a vehicle with an impaired driver. Planning a safe ride home should always be part of the game-day strategy.
Removing alcohol doesn't mean settling for boring beverages or basic tailgate food. In fact, an alcohol-free game day can be an opportunity to upgrade the menu. Try loaded nachos, smoked wings, barbecue sliders, grilled vegetables, homemade dips, or regional specialties inspired by the teams playing. The same goes for drinks. Alcohol-free beer, sparkling water, flavored iced tea, specialty sodas, lemonade, and mocktails can give guests plenty of options.
A self-serve mocktail station with fresh fruit, herbs, flavoured sparkling water and interesting garnishes can even become a feature of the tailgate. When the beverage menu isn't limited to beer, there's a good chance you'll discover something new.
Perhaps one of the biggest advantages of an alcohol-free game day happens after the game is over. Instead of waking up dealing with a hangover, poor sleep or lingering fatigue; you can start the next morning feeling more like yourself. That means you can enjoy breakfast with the family, exercise, watch another game, tackle weekend errands, or simply relax.
For fans who attend multiple games throughout a season; this can make a meaningful difference. One game day doesn't have to take an entire weekend to recover from.
Going alcohol-free doesn't mean football has to be less fun. It can help you focus on what makes game day memorable: good food, great company, friendly competition, team spirit, and the excitement of the game. Whether you're sober, taking a break from alcohol, or simply trying something different, an alcohol-free game day might show you that the best part of the tailgate isn't what's in your cup; it's who you're sharing it with.
I believe the state of alcohol should remain banned. Drinking alcohol can create rowdy behaviour. As illustrated above, dangerous actions can take place. Safety is paramount when a large contingent of people gather together at once.