Alcohol in stands at games to be trialled in women’s second tier in England

LONDON (Agencies): Fans being allowed to drink alcohol in the stands at matches will be trialled at two clubs in the second tier of women’s football in England, the head of Women’s Professional Leagues Limited said on Thursday. The consumption of alcohol in the stands of the top five tiers of English men’s football has been banned since 1985 to curb hooliganism. Although government legislation initially applied only to men’s football, the women’s game has since adopted the same rule for the top two tiers. However, WPLL CEO Nikki Doucet said the profile of women’s football fans meant allowing alcohol in the stands was something that could be introduced. “We are testing that in a couple of teams in the Championship this season and we will see what we will learn from that,” Doucet said at The Summit, part of the Leaders Week London gathering of senior executives in global sport. “I think the behaviour of our fan base is different. It is about giving our fans choices while maintaining safety and being responsible.” No decision has yet been made on which two clubs will undertake the trials. Women’s football in England has not been blighted by the hooliganism that has affected the men’s game in the past. Many top-tier Women’s Super League sides play some matches at the men’s stadiums but Championship teams play at smaller venues with average attendances of around 2,000 or lower.

The independent WPLL officially took charge of the top two tiers of women’s football in England from the FA in August. Although exploring ways to maximise exposure for the two divisions, Doucet said there were no plans to try and alter the Saturday 3pm broadcast blackout that exists in Britain. “There’s complexity of being in the broader football ecosystem. We share stakeholders in the Premier League and EFL (English Football League) and we need to think about the purpose of why that (blackout) is there,” the former Nike director said. “At the moment, that’s something that will stay and the concept of partnership is so important. We share stadiums so the fixture and broadcast schedule is important so the fans are being served as best we can.”