Most football fans back alcohol ban despite Burnham's push to lift it, poll finds

A clear majority of football fans want the 40-year ban on drinking alcohol in view of the pitch to stay, according to a YouGov poll of 6,091 adults — putting them at odds with Prime Minister Andy Burnham, who has signalled he wants to overturn the rule on a trial basis.

The survey found that 64 per cent of Britons who have attended a match believe the ban, introduced in 1985, should remain in place, with only 26 per cent calling for it to be lifted. Among the most regular match-goers, opposition to a change is even firmer: 63 per cent back the ban versus 35 per cent who would welcome its removal.

The poll also found that 53 per cent of at least one-time match-goers believe allowing fans to drink alcohol in view of the pitch would make the match-day experience worse, compared with 20 per cent who think it would improve it and 17 per cent who expect no difference.

Burnham, an Everton supporter who succeeded Sir Keir Starmer as Prime Minister in July, has argued that the legislation belongs to a different era of the game. “I think that legislation dates to an era where football was very different,” he said. “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 added: “I don’t see how it can be fair that some supporters of one sport can be treated differently.”

The Football Supporters’ Association welcomed Burnham’s comments, but the UK Football Policing Unit pushed back, warning it would be “irresponsible” to allow “greater alcohol consumption during games”.

The debate has sharpened a long-standing divide between those who see the ban as an outdated relic of the post-Heysel crackdown and those who argue that loosening restrictions risks reversing decades of progress on stadium safety and crowd behaviour.