Burnham Backs Beers - Why Stadium Ale Ban is a Good, Anti-Wet-Wipe Policy That Should Not Be Removed by PM

Burnham Backs Beers – Why Stadium Ale Ban Is a Good, Anti-Wet-Wipe Policy That Should Not Be Removed by PM

The Prime Minister of the UK wants to abolish the law that alcohol cannot be consumed in the stands during a football game.

The law, which has been in place since 1985 and has garnered very little criticism from the British public, has forced fans to drink at bars and concourses around the stadium rather than allow them into the stands, meaning that the majority of alcohol consumption takes place pre-game, at half time, and after the final whistle.

There has been almost no pushback on the law, with matchgoers typically too active in their support and celebrations to focus on keeping their pint cup upright. However, there is a demographic of the football-following population that would be overjoyed with the reintroduction of beer to the stands, with this demographic falling under your classic hooligans and perhaps those unfamiliar with the gymnastics required to keep your beer in hand.

Why does Burnham want to abolish it, and would it actually do the sport any good?

Burnham’s Brewing Up A Plan

Burnham made a dramatic case against the ban of alcohol for spectators at football games, branding the law as “discrimination”. We don’t agree, given what that word means in other contexts, but hey-ho, you do you, Andy.

🚨🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham wants to overturn the ALCOHOL BAN in football stands, calling it "wrong"

Fans have been unable to drink in seats since 1985❌🍺

The UK Football Policing Unit has requested a meeting with Burnham to discuss the "challenges" any change would… pic.twitter.com/likS5VPytu

— Now Football (@Nowfootball) September 23, 2026

What really gets us is that the Labour MP and leader of our country is looking to bring back something that no one missed. His statement said, “I don’t think it’s fair for football fans to be singled out." How is that the case? How are they being singled out?

It’s not as if alcohol at the ground itself is illegal; simply drinking it in your seat is – it's not much of a hardship to wait 45 minutes for your beer is it? Besides, you’re doing something you love the entire time you don’t have a beer. What better way to be distracted?

In fairness to Burnham, it isn’t solely his call. The Football Supporters Association (FSA) have called for the allegedly ‘outdated’ legislation to be reviewed and possibly amended, and when a three-letter body comes to number 10, you at least give their proposal the time of day, and as an Everton fan himself, Burnham has a vested personal interest in the potential law change.

The law banning alcohol from inside football grounds was implemented by Margaret Thatcher back in 1985 after the then-Home Secretary said that alcohol was a “major contributary factor in violent and disorderly behaviour at football grounds” - probably a fair assessment if we’re all being honest with ourselves.

As a football fan, Burnham is familiar with the drinking laws and lamented the exclusion of football fans from the ‘alcohol during games discussion’ when he attended a Rugby League match at Everton’s Hill Dickinson stadium, one at which fans were allowed to drink.

Speaking to journalists during his trip to New York for the United Nations, Burnham said, “I think the legislation dates to an era where football was very different. I do believe there is a case to remove that discrimination. There are different ways it could be done. I could happen on a trial basis.”

However, a UK Football Policing Unit (UKFPU) spokesperson warned that any change to the law would pose ‘challenges’ to their ability to do their job and would risk the ‘safety of staff and fans at football games’.

In a statement reiterating the importance of leaving the law as it is, the spokesperson said, “Other sports simply don’t see the violence and criminal behaviour from their supporters that football does, albeit a minority, with alcohol often playing a significant part in violent and disorderly behaviour.”

The spokesperson concluded his case by labelling the discussion to abolish the law as 'irresponsible' and ‘incredibly rash to make fundamental changes without full examination of the evidence and meaningful consultation with police practitioners who have the expertise in this area’.

From a political perspective, it is hard not to side with the UKFPU – alcohol consumption and increased levels of violence are inextricably linked regardless of whether that is popular, and behind the scenes, science and math have been heavily involved in getting us to where we are today, with the sum of those equations leaving our current plane of existence as the one that causes the least violent damage within the football sphere.

Would I love a beer in the seat? Yes.

Would I throw my beer in the air if my team score? No.

Unfortunately a lot of people would throw their beer in the air and cover women, children and fans who don’t drink.

Football fans are idiots. That’s the reason we can have nice things. https://t.co/l76l2XmnH0 pic.twitter.com/V9BdBAPHw2

— Ady Burton (@IceIceAdy) September 24, 2026

From a fan standpoint, I won’t argue with the fact that having a pint in my seat while watching a game of football would be lovely. But you just know that three rows behind you is a specky teenager just waiting for the moment to toss his pint in the air because he saw someone do the same thing on social media.

For whatever reason, the trend of chucking pints in the air has become a footballing-viewing tradition in many places, including beer gardens and public screenings – I have no idea why, as being on the end of the receiving end of a half-empty flying pint cup is as miserable as you would imagine.

Still, experiencing that in a beer garden in summer is still magnitudes more pleasant than having a Moretti dumped down your neck in mid-December - you’d have to leave immediately, or risk catching a case of hypothermia.

If beer tossing is banned and cracked down upon in football stadiums, then I could possibly support the return of alcohol to the stands in moderation, but my overarching feeling is that the game is better off with sober fans, who cause quite enough controversy without alcohol.