Burnham questions football alcohol ban without announcing policy change

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has questioned restrictions on drinking alcohol in football stands and suggested a trial of different rules could be considered. BBC News reported that government sources stressed he was expressing a longstanding view, not announcing a policy change. No wider consultation is currently planned.

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Speaking during his trip to New York, Burnham argued that football supporters were treated unfairly compared with spectators at other sports. The BBC said a pilot had not been ruled out, but a broader change would require extensive consultation involving clubs, supporters and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

Supporters and police offered contrasting responses. FSA chairman Tom Greatrex welcomed a review, saying fans should not face criminalisation for drinking while watching football when other events permit it. The UK Football Policing Unit warned that greater consumption could aggravate disorder and said evidence and consultation with policing specialists should precede fundamental changes, according to the BBC.

The idea of testing a different approach has an established place in football's governance debate. The independent Fan-Led Review of Football Governance, published in November 2021, recommended limited trials at League Two and National League matches. Its report linked the proposal to possible benefits for clubs' financial sustainability and questions about how effectively the existing law worked.

That review set out a specific role for the authorities in any experiment. Recommendation 42 called for the culture department, Home Office, UK Football Policing Unit and other stakeholders to work together on designing, agreeing, managing and reviewing small-scale pilots. The proposal concerned alcohol sales within sight of the pitch, with police involvement built into the process.

A separate recommendation addressed the legislation itself. The review urged the Home Office to examine the Sporting Events (Control of Alcohol etc.) Act 1985, assess whether its measures remained appropriate and support its conclusions with robust evidence. Those were recommendations from the 2021 report, rather than measures announced as part of Burnham's latest comments.