New Hibs owner Rob Gordon has called for the SFA to reconsider selling alcohol at football matches in Scotland in a move which could transform how Rangers fans watch football.
The sale of alcohol at football matches has been prohibited in Scotland ever since the infamous scenes of the 1980 Scottish Cup Final between Rangers and Celtic which were marred by alcohol-fuelled violence.
Gordon believes that Scottish football has grown up from the desperate days of the “shame game” and claims that a ban on alcohol is holding clubs and the game here back.
“It’s essentially a penalty on football,” said Gordon, speaking at the Hibs AGM [BBC Scotland].
“I don’t know exactly what’s the best way to approach it. The club’s have a responsibility to police that and police themselves, but at least they should be given a chance to somehow get back to that.
“Obviously, the last thing we want is trouble, bad behaviour. England had the ban and they’ve been able to grow out of it. I don’t see any reason why we can’t.
“It’s a big revenue stream. If we could do more, that would be phenomenal. But it will be good to get the league behind us and we got to get the government to give us a shot.
“In a healthy way it can be part of the matchday experience.”
The idea behind introducing alcohol back into matches isn’t a new one and talks were said to have been held between the SFA, Police Scotland the Scottish government last season [BBC Scotland].
But several high-profile alcohol-fuelled incidents – including plenty at Hibs’ Easter Road – have negatively impacted the discussion.
Supporters of the campaign will claim that offering alcohol inside stadiums means that grounds will be fuller earlier, whilst clubs can financially benefit from the sale of alcohol.
Supporters will spend more time in and around the ground and keeping fans on-site has been a vital part of stadium and event planning across sports in the modern era.
Whilst a long way away from being applied, it’s not the only major change to Scottish football being proposed by the powers that be in the game.
On the pitch, heading is also set to be banned for under 11s [SFA] in a revolutionary new approach to kids coaching which stems from ground-breaking research connecting dementia and football.
