Overview

• Lawmakers will vote on a Tory amendment led by shadow sports minister Louie French to review the Football Spectators Act 1985 prohibition on in-stand alcohol sales
• Louie French warned that the legacy ban forces fans into pre-kick-off and half-time drinking sprees that delay stadium entry and create concourse overcrowding
• Sport minister Stephanie Peacock argued that any changes to in-stand drinking fall outside the Football Governance Bill’s narrow focus on establishing an independent regulator
• The bill is designed to set up an Independent Football Regulator with powers to enforce financial sustainability and accountability for clubs across the top five tiers
• Advocates point to safe in-stand drinking trials in the Women’s Super League and practices in cricket, rugby and European football as evidence for a modern approach