What are the rules around drinking in football stadiums?
Andy Burnham pledges to look into restoring drinking inside men's football stadiums
Andy Burnham has said he will look to repeal a law that prohibits fans from taking alcohol into football stadiums for men's games.
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He called the 1980s law, which was designed to stamp out hooliganism in the terraces, "outdated" and from “an era when football was very different”.
The prime minister, who supports Everton and was recently seen in the stands with Canadian PM Mark Carney, has pledged to hold talks with police and the Football Supporters’ Association.
Mr Burnham said: “I don’t think it’s fair for football fans to be singled out in that way, and I made that point.
“I think that legislation dates to an era where football was very different. And I do believe there is a case to remove that discrimination. There are different ways it could be done, perhaps on a trial basis."
Here is what the law says.
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What are the rules around drinking alcohol in UK football stadiums?
The Sporting Events (Control of Alcohol) Act 1985 prohibits drinking in sight of the pitch in England and Wales in the top five men’s leagues, meaning that alcohol cannot be carried into the stadium's stands.
Fans at a men's game can buy drinks at the bar and then consume them in the corridors and bar areas of a stadium before kick-off, at half-time, after the match, or even during the match, as long as they do not bring the drink in with them.
There are different rules for watching women's football, and WSL fans have been allowed to take drinks inside the same stadia where they have been banned from entering with a drink to see the men play.
All other sports have no such rules for prohibiting alcohol within sight of the pitch in the UK.
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