Bringing back alcohol

[Monts]

I see the papers are running with the story that Ron wants to bring back alcohol sales at football.

I was at the AGM and don't recall him mentioning it at all so the timing of this seems strange considering the ambitious plans laid out last night.

Having said that, I agree with what he's saying. Football is taxing itself, forfeiting money it can't really afford to be giving away.

Thoughts

[Keith_M]

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I see the papers are running with the story that Ron wants to bring back alcohol sales at football.

I was at the AGM and don't recall him mentioning it at all so the timing of this seems strange considering the ambitious plans laid out last night.

Having said that, I agree with what he's saying. Football is taxing itself, forfeiting money it can't really afford to be giving away.

Thoughts

Most people at football would behave themselves perfectly well if they were having a drink at games.

A minority wouldn't.

Depends on whether you're willing to take the risk from the second group.


p.s. I'm not saying don't do it, just that there's possible consequences.

[hibbysam]

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Most people at football would behave themselves perfectly well if they were having a drink at games.

A minority wouldn't.

Depends on whether you're willing to take the risk from the second group.


p.s. I'm not saying don't do it, just that there's possible consequences.

I’d wager the behaviour wouldn’t get any worse than it is currently because of a couple of flat pints...

Doesn’t stop folk getting rat arsed before games at present, because they feel they have to tank up before they get to the ground. This has the prospect of reversing that culture for most as they know they’ll get a couple of pints during the game.

[007]

Would help the atmosphere too. Who doesn't like a wee sing song after a couple of pints?

[blackpoolhibs]

I dont think the drinks ban really affects the likes of us v ross county or livi. It affects every game the bigot brothers play, and for that reason i dont believe we will see it back soon.

They cant be trusted, so the rest of us pay the price.

[Pretty Boy]

Drinking at the football is allowed now to all intents and purposes. I could currently go to the stadium a couple of hours before the game, enter the stadium, buy multiple alcoholic drinks, leave the stadium then enter the stadium again by a turnstile located 10 yards from the door I have just exited and that's apparently fine. The current laws are a nonsense.

Let's be honest people who can't handle a drink and behave like bams do so even with the current legislation in place. There are, off the top of my head, about 10-15 pubs within a 10 minute walk of ER. Add to that people drink at home, drink on trains, drink on buses etc etc. People who act like total dicks are a tiny minority and we should be challenging them rather than penalising the hundreds and thousands of people who can enjoy a couple of pints and behave properly. Are that majority going to start behaving like raging lunatics because they can have a pint in the concourse before a game? Is Hibs v St Mirren on a Tuesday night suddenly going to become like an Istanbul derby?

Personally I could take or leave a pint at the game. I go to the Iona if I have a beer before the game at the moment and the lure of a pint of Carling at ER probably wouldn't change that. It should be an option for those that want it though.

[hibsbollah]

I wouldnt like to see it happen. We cant be trusted.

[Hibernian Verse]

If the bars were just open pre match for an hour and at half time I think that would be a good litmus test.

[Cataplana]

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Would help the atmosphere too. Who doesn't like a wee sing song after a couple of pints?

The people who prefer a square go?

[green&left]

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I wouldnt like to see it happen. We cant be trusted.

People said the same about Friday night games, Saturday half 5 games, standing sections etc etc.

[NORTHERNHIBBY]

Depending on when the purchasing of alcohol was allowed, this would maybe work best with a standing section. Shuffling past people on a terracing is fine.

[The Pointer]

On the odd occasion when I'm not driving home after a game I prefer to drink in the pubs because of the crack and I get to drink the beer I prefer to drink.

[bingo70]

Imo having the option to get a pint in a plastic cup behind the stand would cut back on people sneaking in glass bottles, which can later turn into a weapon.

Equalling alcohol with bad behaviour isn’t looking at the bigger picture.

Bad behaviour still happens when you can’t get a drink at the ground so maybe getting a drink in the ground isn’t the common denominator of trouble the powers that be seem to think it is.

[007]

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The people who prefer a square go?

Ah, the 3 pint guys.

[Anthony Soprano]

I think alcohol should definitely be allowed at the games. I think it would make very little difference, as it stands people who want to drink at games will just drink beforehand, in fact they will probably drink more to make up for lost drinking time during the game.

Won't bother me personally if it is or not, if the price of food at the games is anything to go by then you'll be looking at about £6 a pint.

[DH1875]

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Depending on when the purchasing of alcohol was allowed, this would maybe work best with a standing section. Shuffling past people on a terracing is fine.

You won't be drinking on the terracing. If and it's a big if it ever comes in you'll be drinking on the concourse where the kiosks already are.
So having a pint to watch the game won't actual happen.

[Fizz]

https://www.facebook.com/DiscoveryUK...826/:greengrin

[Viva_Palmeiras]

Will alcohol be on sale in the away dugout for the Derby?

[Since452]

£5 a pint or whatever it'll be. I'd rather stick to the boozer or a carryout

[Viva_Palmeiras]

Disposable / reusable plastic pints or bottles? I guess the trick is to pioneer with partners who demonstrate capability, get exposure and reap rewards through dealings with other clubs on the know-how on all things green.

[makaveli1875]

Its not a straight forward thing to do . If they sold bevvy to the fans at say Hibs v Ross County i doubt there would be many issues . If they did it at a derby or old firm game , or us V the huns its gonna be utter carnage

[Brightside]

Open the bars 1 hour before kick off. No issue. Pished people will still be pished people.

[MWHIBBIES]

Will never happen while we continue to chuck flairs and bottles.

[Smartie]

It should definitely be allowed, but not at certain games.

We all know the flashpoints - games with the OF and derbies, add more alcohol to the mix there and you'd probably have trouble. Or certainly, the next bit of inevitable trouble at one of those games would be blamed on the alcohol.

It won't happen because all of the games involving the OF would be high risk games, their wouldn't get to drink so would kick up fuss would prevent everyone else from doing so (whilst still having their Bucky-fuelled marauding and singsongs on the road).

Basically any game where there is the need for a "dry train" to get to the game, there shouldn't be alcohol on sale at the ground.

I quite like a pint on the concourse when I go to game in England.

[mutley]

I'm guessing they don't mean during the game.

We have the BTG bar, and we tried the Beer Tent in the East when the refurb was going on, and I quite liked that. The amount of wasted space under the East could easily accommodate something like that, and if it closed at the same time as BTG then what's the issue?

[G B Young]

It's a tricky issue at a time when the political focus is on curbing Scotland's drinking culture.

However, we're not talking here about going back to the 70s when fans could literally roll up with bag-full of of cans and bottles to take on to the terracing. That was largely before my time (or at least before I started drinking!) but when I was younger I would often meet up around lunchtime, or even earlier, for a few pints pre-game and I kind of saw the match as a break from the booze before heading back to the pub after the game.

These days, with kids in tow, I rarely drink before games, but I can see how the match-day experience could be improved if we introduced bars around the stadium. It would have to be done well, however. A warehouse-like atmosphere featuring huge queues for pints in a plastic glass isn't going to entice folk out of the pubs. It needs to be an environment, possibly including a decent food option, where fans feel they can relax and enjoy the build-up in a similar way to a family-friendly pub IMHO.

[Carheenlea]

It’s probably because we’ve went so long now with an alcohol ban inside football grounds that so many would be against reintroducing it, or probably more so why so many aren’t that fussed either way. Those that enjoy a beer before games are well facilitated and have our own routines by the many options near Easter Road. The bigger picture is about encouraging more fans along, and improving facilities inside the stadium and upgrading the stadium and improving the fan experience in a more modern venue with better quality and options of catering, so I’d argue that providing the sale of alcohol goes hand in hand with that.

When alcohol was permitted in grounds prior to the Old Firm riot in 1980 it was carry outs of cans and bottles. Sales of low strength beer in plastic tumblers (reusable with the green initiative..) from the kiosks is a far more controlled and safer environment.

[Smartie]

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It's a tricky issue at a time when the political focus is on curbing Scotland's drinking culture.

However, we're not talking here about going back to the 70s when fans could literally roll up with bag-full of of cans and bottles to take on to the terracing. That was largely before my time (or at least before I started drinking!) but when I was younger I would often meet up around lunchtime, or even earlier, for a few pints pre-game and I kind of saw the match as a break from the booze before heading back to the pub after the game.

These days, with kids in tow, I rarely drink before games, but I can see how the match-day experience could be improved if we introduced bars around the stadium. It would have to be done well, however. A warehouse-like atmosphere featuring huge queues for pints in a plastic glass isn't going to entice folk out of the pubs. It needs to be an environment, possibly including a decent food option, where fans feel they can relax and enjoy the build-up in a similar way to a family-friendly pub IMHO.

The problem with Scotland's drinking culture isn't so much with the drinking itself but the antisocial behaviour it can lead to as well as the health impact of overindulging.

Changing, rather than curbing, is what it is all about.

I'm probably going to drink before and after the game on Friday for the first time this season and tbh I'm really quite looking forward to it.

As regards drinking at the football, encouraging folk to drink responsibly in a ground is surely every bit as sensible as forcing them to cram as much down their necks as possible prior to games?

I'm comfortable with the idea of Hibs profiting from folk having a couple of pints once a fortnight.

It's interesting to see how it is done on the continent. Wee pop up bars around the grounds in Germany are great (when the sun is shining) and it would be magic to think Hibs could do something similar, a bit like that tent that they did in the past.

A barbecue selling stuff like burgers and hot dogs along with a bottle bar could be brilliant, and shouldn't be beyond us being able to organise.

[Mikey]

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Will never happen while we continue to chuck flairs and bottles.

Yep, although the upgraded CCTV will help with that. If people know they'll be caught they're much less likely to do it.

I wonder if there's a hospitality loophole that can be exploited?...... Only hospitality members can buy alcohol but membership is only £1 and it's included in every adult ST.

[Colr]

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I see the papers are running with the story that Ron wants to bring back alcohol sales at football.

I was at the AGM and don't recall him mentioning it at all so the timing of this seems strange considering the ambitious plans laid out last night.

Having said that, I agree with what he's saying. Football is taxing itself, forfeiting money it can't really afford to be giving away.

Thoughts

American style!! There will be waiting staff to bring you beer and hotdogs or pizza at your seat!!

Actually, they do this at Saracens.