Football set for MAJOR change on alcohol rules with trial set to be rolled out until the end of the season
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Women's football matches will trial drinking in the stands, in a move that could see a change to the sport's rules around alcohol moving forward. Drinking alcoholic beverages in the stands and in view of the pitch at men's games in the top five divisions has been banned since the Sporting Events Act 1985.
![[The WSL is not subject to the 1985 Act, however the competition's rules still ban drinking from the stands]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/10/09/90992293-0-The_WSL_is_not_subject_to_the_1985_Act_however_the_competition_s-a-17_1736500721063.jpg)
As such, fans caught in violation of the Act can be punished by being banned from grounds, handed hefty fans and, in extreme circumstances, given three month prison sentences. However, women's football is not governed by the same restrictive legislation surrounding alcohol consumption at matches.
![[Nikki Doucet is the CEO of Women's Professional Leagues Limited - the body in charge of the WSL and Women's Championship]](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2025/01/10/09/90992689-0-Nikki_Doucet_is_the_CEO_of_Women_s_Professional_Leagues_Limited_-a-18_1736500729569.jpg)
As such, after discussions last year, there will be trials at select matches across the country held from January 19 to the end of the season. Test grounds include, Newcastle, Bristol City, Birmingham and Southampton, all of whom are in the Championship.
A trial event in the Women's Championship is set to see the ban on alcohol being consumed in the stands temporarily lifted. The WSL is not subject to the 1985 Act, however the competition's rules still ban drinking from the stands. The stadia were believed to have been selected due to their spread across the country, safety procedures, and the fact that Bristol City's Ashton Gate and Newcastle's Kingston Park already see fans drinking in the stands at rugby games.
