Sobering up: Does sport need alcohol to bring fans together?🍻

A senior EFL official told UK MPs that they want regulations surrounding the sale of alcohol to be reduced but with younger generations drinking less and less, are they missing an opportunity?

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For a long time, the sports industry has had an interdependent relationship with alcohol.

Drinking has become imperative to most rightsholder’s balance sheets, both as a lucrative and loyal sponsorship partner and as a driver of significant matchday revenue. Whilst for the alcohol brands, sport provides them with a pivotal reason for consumers to consume their product year-round.

Nowhere is this clearer than at The World Darts Championship.

Taking place from the 15th of December until the 3rd of January, the tournament saw alcohol-fuelled fans sink a staggering 46,000 pints a day at the Alexandra Palace – despite a capacity of only 10,500 at the venue.

MailOnline Sport @MailSport

Sportsmail joins the boozed-up fans sinking 46,000 pints a day at a packed Ally Pally for a look behind the scenes at the World Darts Championship

trib.alSportsmail goes behind the scenes at a packed Ally Pally for the DartsDarts at the Ally Pally as become a Christmas tradition. So, Sky Sports invited Sportsmail to go behind the scenes at the darts on December 16 to see what it’s all about.

It is perhaps no surprise then that on Thursday a senior English Football League (EFL) official told UK MPs that they wanted the regulations surrounding the sale of alcohol at matches to be reduced and to carry out a trial allowing some fans to drink in their seats.

Currently, it is permitted to drink in the concourses at EFL and Premier League football stadiums but drinking in view of the pitch has been banned since 1985, reducing the window for clubs to sell to prior to the game and at half time.

Former Sports Minister Tracey Crouch, who previously pushed for a pilot to allow clubs in the National League and League Two to serve and consume alcohol in the stands, explained that for clubs outside the system like Dulwich Hamlet, who are able generate significant revenue through refreshments, “cannot afford to get promoted because of the rules around alcohol.”

Michael Bochel @MichaelBochel

I am one episode into the Dulwich Hamlet series with Peter Crouch. Interesting insight into the numbers of running a club like Dulwich. If we could sell beer at Nairn County like they are able to in England, it would make a difference to matchday revenues.

Whilst pushing through these regulations would likely result in at least a short-term boost to matchday revenues for EFL clubs, it does neglect a wider trend happening across the UK, US, and many other Western countries…

With greater emphasis on mental and physical health, consumers are trending towards drinking less. New research in the US has suggested that almost half (46%) of drinkers are trying to reduce their alcohol consumption, and 52% of them are replacing alcohol with non-alcoholic beverages. Similarly, YouGov reported almost one in three (32%) UK drinkers are now ‘semi-regularly’ consuming low and no-alcohol products compared to one in four (25%) in 2020.

This trend has fuelled a recent £10m Series A for Lucky Saint – claimed to be the “largest ever” raised by an alcohol-free beer brand. Interestingly, the brand previously partnered with fitness tracking app Strava to launch the Daylight Saviours Challenge. Commenting on the campaign at the time, Luke Boase, founder of Lucky Saint, said

“We believe the greatest reward of drinking is the social connection, not the alcohol — and there’s nothing better than getting outside with friends, being active and closing off the day with a refreshing beer.”

James Beeson @BeesonOnBeer

UK alcohol-free beer brand @LuckySaintBeer to open a pub in central London. Lucky Saint will take over the site of The Mason’s Arms in Marylebone, with a view to opening in early March. Pub to serve alc + non-alc drinks and "reimagined" pub classics. just-drinks.com/news/lucky-sai…

This month the company announced the launch of The Lucky Saint, a non-alcoholic pub at their headquarters in London. A similar thesis has also been behind a rapid rise in ‘sober bars’ popping up across the US. At Sans Bar, a sober bar in Austin, owner Chris Marshall told Business Insider he was inspired to create a space for a largely underserved demographic as he realised a lot of people were “struggling to have a social life without alcohol."

Of course, it’s not just independent bars and breweries that are committing resources to this trend. Heineken has been at the forefront of the low and no-alcohol movement, committing huge sponsorship dollars to its 0.0 product, including its flagship sponsorships of Formula 1 and the UEFA Europa League and European Championships.

More recently, the last-minute backflip on alcohol service inside stadiums for the FIFA World Cup in Qatar also led Budweiser’s Bud Zero to take centre stage.

Whilst a lot of criticism was levelled at the Arab State for the decision, the ban did also come with benefits. The tournament was praised for its ‘family friendly’ atmosphere and for providing an overall safer environment felt by some female fans.

i newspaper @theipaper

Women at the Qatar World Cup say they feel safer thanks to reduced alcohol consumption 💬 "I’ve had no catcalling, no wolf whistling" 💬 "It's much more pleasant, much more family friendly" 🟢 Should we consider banning booze at Premier League games? inews.co.uk/opinion/qatar-…

Whilst the EFL is focused on increasing opportunities to sell alcohol at matches through reducing legislation, there are alternative ways to view and approach the current restrictions as an opportunity.

As the likes of Heineken and Budweiser have already identified, offering low or no-alcohol options for fans does have the potential to replace revenue lost from the reduced demand for alcohol. A small online experiment saw 49% of participants chose non-alcoholic drinks when their availability was increased.

For sports clubs, this offering could also help to boost inclusion and the diversity of the audiences’ attending matches, as well as helping them to appeal to younger generations (as Gen Z are drinking less than any other generation).

As the sober lifestyle movement gains ground, we will see more and more people are looking for social opportunities that don't centre around drinking. So, rather than pushing for greater opportunities to sell alcohol at matches, perhaps there is a more unique opportunity for the EFL (or any other rightsholder) to be at the forefront of this emerging trend.

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