00:00The debate continues on whether football supporters should continue to face restrictions on drinking alcohol while watching a match.
00:09The Sporting Events Control of Alcohol Act 1985 prohibits drinking in sight of the pitch at football grounds in England
00:17and Wales, covering the top five tiers of the men's game.
00:21The legislation was introduced during a period when concerns about football hooliganism were particularly high.
00:28I don't have a strong view on whether or not bringing alcohol into the stands will change the experience for
00:34most, but I think it's really worth exploring anything that might make the football experience better, so long as we
00:39keep that really safe, welcoming environment that modern football has become.
00:43So if you're a rugby fan of the Bristol Bears here at Ashton Gate, you can drink, join the match.
00:47For the last three years, we've been trialling the same for Bristol City women, and obviously, as we know, for
00:52the men's team, having a drink if you want one is still an important part of many fans' game ritual.
00:58It's just that it's before the match or at half-time.
01:01Do I think that fans feel that difference?
01:04I honestly think the fans are quite different for each sport, and that's part of the thing that makes each
01:09of those sports unique and special, and they all have different rituals around the game.
01:13So I'm not sure we should do it because fans are desperate for it to happen.
01:17I think we should do it because we can give them a better time, but only if we can give
01:21them a better time in the round.
01:22So the Women's Super League were really thoughtful about the way they approached this.
01:25So they did a trial with a number of clubs, one of which was Bristol City women here at Ashton
01:30Gate, and I think it has been successful for that fan base.
01:34And the fan base for women's football does look and feel different to the fan base for men's football.
01:39Absolutely, if the government and all the different stakeholders involved thought it was the right thing to start trialling to
01:45see what it would look like to have alcohol introduced during the game of men's football,
01:50we would be really open to having those trials here at Ashton Gate.
01:52Prime Minister Andy Burnham has described the restrictions as outdated and discriminatory.
01:59However, the proposals raised concerns from football policing bodies.
02:03A spokesman for the UK Football Policing Unit says alcohol can play a significant part in violent and disorderly behaviour
02:11among a minority of football supporters.
02:14From a business perspective, it could be fantastic.
02:17We sell beer to Ashton Gate, so the more they're selling, the better for us.
02:22Obviously, we've also, as you say, got a couple of pubs that within walking distance and that experience of a
02:29match day festival, almost of, you know,
02:32you get your beers at the pubs before you get to the stadium and you've got that continuity throughout.
02:37The Football Supporters Association have welcomed the comments.
02:40They say the organisation's long argued football supporters should not be criminalised for having a drink while watching a match.
02:49The FSA also points to successful pilots in the women's game where supporters have been allowed to drink in the
02:55stands at some grounds.
02:57The FSA Toutspillar Republic.
02:58This is a major issue of engaging multi-急 length exposure of the French sector.
02:59And the list again stands at one of the top websites often on the left, causing many people to say
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03:00Thank you for listening.
