Booze ball: How alcohol could be making its way back to Scottish football grounds

By Sam Scouller

Could alcoholic beverages be allowed back in the stands in Scotland? (Image: Getty Images)

Scottish women’s football clubs are exploring a possible opportunity to sell alcohol at matches thanks to a legal loophole, and there’s a path emerging for its return to the men’s game too.

Selling alcohol at football matches outside of hospitality areas in Scotland hasn’t been permitted since 1980 when the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act was introduced.

Some clubs are hopeful that the legislation might not apply to some of the grounds used in the Scottish Women’s Premier League (SWPL) meaning they could sell alcohol at home games.

Scottish Women’s Football (SWF) have taken a strong stance in opposition to alcohol promotion and refuses any alcohol sponsorships.

However, the SWPL are reported to be open to the idea of member clubs selling alcohol at their home matches and will support any clubs which pursue the idea.

Other than looking to exploit a potential exception to the rule, clubs in Scotland are also looking to change the law itself to introduce the sale of alcohol at grounds across the country.

The law itself was introduced following the 1980 Scottish Cup final between Celtic and Rangers, a match now dubbed the ‘riot final.’

The scenes were ignited when Celtic fans flooded the pitch after the final whistle to celebrate a 1-0 win and came too close to Rangers’ end of the stadium, causing a reaction from opposition fans.

Fans from the blue side quickly hopped the Hampden fence to enter the pitch and what followed was a poorly policed, violent brawl between both sets of fans.

Police held over 200 people in custody following the riot and over 150 people were reported to be seriously injured.

Since then, Scottish football grounds have not been permitted to sell alcohol at games other than in hospitality areas where the pitch can’t be seen.

This has been criticised by many people within Scottish football for years, including SPFL chief executive, Neil Doncaster who labelled the fact “regrettable” during a podcast appearance.

The legislation is especially frustrating to Scottish fans as in England, stadiums sell alcohol on gamedays and allow fans to consume it on the concourses but not at their seats.

Rugby fans across the UK are also allowed to drink alcohol throughout the game, as well as cricket, basketball and ice hockey fans.

If SWPL clubs pursue the idea of selling alcohol at games and it turns out to be a successful endeavour, it could spur a further push from the SFA to get legal permission to sell alcohol at all Scottish football matches.

The question of whether it is a good idea to reintroduce alcohol to Scottish football or not has to be asked though.

At the moment, fans drinking on matchday drink to extreme levels before arriving at the ground to sustain them for the duration of the game, which leads to obvious safety issues.

If the law is changed, it will allow fans to drink in moderation at football games, which will create a safer environment for others and allow fans to drink in a safer manner.

However, this could stem into many other problems and possibly aggravate the already dangerous levels of aggression and violence in Scottish football stadiums.

Having a drink in hand at a game can have a polarising effect on a fan as opposed to having already downed a few pints before kick-off.

This is especially an issue in high-intensity games such as derbies or finals as items being thrown on the pitch are already an issue in games like the Old Firm or Edinburgh Derby.

Handing fans cups full of beer could entice them to throw them at players or officials during moments of discontent.

The return of alcohol comes with an element of risk (Image: Getty Images)

While the prospect looks more likely now than before, there is a long and difficult road to weather before we could see an IPA at Ibrox, a Tennent's at Tynecastle or a pale ale at Parkhead.