The Night Time Industries Association has backed calls for a review of the rules preventing supporters from consuming alcohol in sight of the pitch at men’s football matches.
The intervention follows comments from Prime Minister Andy Burnham on 23 September in which he said there was a case for reviewing the restrictions, arguing that football supporters are treated differently from spectators at sports including rugby and cricket.
Restrictions introduced under the Sporting Events (Control of Alcohol etc.) Act 1985 currently prohibit alcohol consumption in view of the pitch at designated men’s football matches, including games across the top five tiers of English football.
The NTIA said any debate should focus on controlled reform rather than unrestricted drinking, taking into account changes in stadium technology, licensing, stewarding, policing and safety management over the past four decades.
The organisation is calling for a carefully controlled pilot in the men’s game involving clubs, police, licensing bodies and safety authorities.
The debate follows trials across women’s football. During the 2025/26 season, 20 clubs took part across 190 fixtures, after an initial pilot began with four WSL2 clubs in 2025. Following the trial, WSL Football removed its rule preventing alcohol consumption in view of the pitch for the 2026/27 season, allowing individual clubs to decide whether to offer the option.
Feedback during the trial found an average fan-safety score of 9.4 out of 10, with 70% of surveyed supporters in favour of the initiative by January 2026. WSL Football also reported no incidents or ejections related to the pilot at that stage.
The NTIA said reform could also help address congestion on stadium concourses at half-time, when supporters currently have a limited period in which to purchase and consume alcoholic drinks.
It also argued that allowing controlled consumption over a longer period could create additional matchday revenue opportunities, particularly for clubs further down the football pyramid.
Michael Kill, Chief Executive Officer of the Night Time Industries Association, said: “Football has changed beyond recognition over the last 40 years, and it is right that we ask whether regulation has kept pace with the modern game.
“This is not about unrestricted drinking. It is about responsible, evidence-led reform, underpinned by the sophisticated safety, licensing, stewarding, policing and technology that exists in stadiums today.
“The current rules can have unintended consequences, concentrating thousands of supporters onto concourses at half-time with a very short window to purchase and consume a drink. We should consider whether allowing controlled consumption over a longer period could encourage more responsible drinking and ease pressure on concourses.
“We have also seen encouraging outcomes from trials in women’s football, demonstrating that alternative approaches can be tested within robust safety frameworks.
“For lower-league clubs, this could also provide a significant new source of matchday revenue at a time when many desperately need greater financial sustainability.
“Forty years on, this is an opportunity for a new era of regulation. A carefully controlled pilot in the men’s game, developed alongside clubs, police, licensing and safety authorities, would allow the evidence to determine what comes next.”
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