Burnham signals review of 40-year ban on football fans drinking in stands

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has signalled that England and Wales’s 40-year ban on football fans drinking alcohol in sight of the pitch could be lifted, describing the current rules as discriminatory and “outdated”.

The legislation, introduced by Margaret Thatcher in 1985 to combat widespread matchday hooliganism, prohibits alcohol consumption within view of the pitch during the 15 minutes before kick-off and after the final whistle. Fans remain permitted to drink on stadium concourses, a compromise critics argue encourages binge drinking before matches and rushed pints at half-time.

Burnham, a committed Everton supporter, was pressed on comments he had made before entering Downing Street. “I don’t think it’s fair for football fans to be singled out in that way,” he said. “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.”

He pointed to the inconsistency of being able to drink at a rugby league match in the same seat he occupies for Everton games at the club’s Hill Dickinson Stadium. “How come these lads can do that in my seat here when we can’t do that at an Everton home game? There’s something wrong there,” he said in a previously recorded clip.

Any move to scrap the ban is expected to face significant resistance from police forces, who have long argued that alcohol on terraces fuels disorder.

Tom Greatrex, chair of the Football Supporters’ Association, welcomed the Prime Minister’s remarks. “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 whilst watching an Oasis gig or rugby league,” he said. “The legislation is outdated and deserves to be reviewed.”

Greatrex noted that the Women’s Super League and WSL2 had already run a successful pilot, with fans now able to drink in the stands at many grounds, while the EFL has long backed a trial at lower-league level. A fan-led review of football governance in 2021 also recommended piloting alcohol sales on terraces in League Two and National League matches, partly to help smaller clubs increase matchday revenue.