Sheffield United fans deliver verdict on Bramall Lane booze ban after Andy Burnham intervention as club stance confirmed
Sheffield United’s Fan Advisory Board has asked supporters whether alcohol should be allowed in view of the pitch at Bramall Lane, after Andy Burnham suggested that the “discriminatory” ban could be scrapped
Sheffield United supporters have been having their say on whether beer should be allowed in the stands at Bramall Lane, after prime minister Andy Burnham reignited the long-standing debate around football's alcohol ban. Speaking earlier this week, Burnham described the current ban as discriminatory.
Fans have not been allowed to drink in view of the pitch since 1985, when Margaret Thatcher's government outlawed it in English and Welsh football grounds in the top five tiers. Then-home secretary Leon Brittan described alcohol at the time as a "major contributory factor in violent and disorderly behaviour" in football grounds.
But that has since raised the curious situation where the same people can attend the same stadium and sit in the same seat but watch a different sport, for example rugby, and be allowed to drink alcohol while doing so.
Burnham, a keen football fan who holds a season ticket at Everton, argued that football supporters are treated differently from spectators at other sports in his comments, which have prompted fresh discussion about whether the legislation should be changed.
United’s Fan Advisory Board polled Unitedites this week as to whether they would welcome a change in the law, and the early results suggest there is no clear consensus for change.
At the time of writing, 251 people had voted in the FAB's poll. 53.4 per cent opted to keep the current arrangements, while 29.1 per cent backed allowing beer in the stands and 17.5 per cent favoured a dedicated beer-drinking section.
The poll remains open, meaning those figures could change, and it is not intended to represent the views of the entire United fanbase. But it offers an interesting insight into some of the challenges a change could create.
Unitedite @Blades60Martyn tweeted: “Not a chance. People getting up to go for beer or a pee. Chucking plastic cups at players, throwing beer in air when a goal is scored. No thanks. More scrapping on terraces. All it is about is getting votes from young. Wish he would spend more time on immigration and reducing tax.”
Fellow Blade Simon Parker added: “No thanks. Even more getting up and down to let people out for a pee. Where I sit there’s loads of blokes who can’t control themselves as it is without allowing them to carry on drinking during the match. We’ll also need proper stewards for crowd control not the kids we have.”
And Alex Elstone added: “There was a reason why it was banned and we don’t want those days coming back.”
There is already a precedent for a change in the women's game, with clubs in the Women's Super League and WSL2 given the option to allow supporters to drink alcohol in view of the pitch following an 18-month trial.
Unitedites at least have more chance of getting a beer in the concourse than their fellow fans north of the border. The general sale of alcohol has been prohibited in Scottish football stadiums since 1981, although recent trials have taken place including at Hampden Park.
The Star asked United for its view on the possibility of the rules changing and what that could mean for Bramall Lane. A club spokesperson said: “We have noted the news and will monitor developments with interest.”
A spokesperson for the UK Football Policing Unit warned that changes to the law would pose "challenges" to policing and the "safety of staff and fans at football games", adding: "It would be irresponsible to fuel [violent and disorderly behaviour] by allowing greater alcohol consumption during games."
But Tom Greatrex, the chairman of the Football Supporters’ Association, said it was "unfair to criminalise football fans for having a pint while watching the match - especially since you can sit in the same seat drinking alcohol whilst watching an Oasis gig or rugby league".