Pint at the game ‘democratises the football experience for all supporters,’ Jim Spence

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The Celtic Star

·17 November 2025

Pint at the game ‘democratises the football experience for all supporters,’ Jim Spence

Last week The Celtic Star reported on the news that Aberdeen supporters will be able to enjoy a pint or two at their Scottish Premiership match against Motherwell on the day Celtic will be at Hampden Park playing against St Mirren in the Premier Sports Cup final.

Aberdeen and Celtic fans during the Scottish Premiership match at Pittodrie on 10 August 2025. Photo Stephen Dobson PSI (IMAGO).

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It’s certainly an interesting development that many reading this would like to see introduced at Celtic Park and across Scottish football, where currently you can only enjoy a drink if you can afford the cooperate hospitality on offer but not if you are like myself just an ordinary season ticket holder.

The vast majority of those Celtic season ticket holders, as revealed in the recent Celtic Fan Survey results, would not have been old enough – or even born when Celtic beat Rangers in the 1980 Scottish Cup Final which ended with a pitch invasion and a riot and ultimately lead to the banning of alcohol at football grounds in Scotland that stands to this day.

A Scotland fan shows his support by gesturing and chanting prior to the Quilter Nations Series 2025 rugby international match between Scotland and Argentina at Scottish Gas Murrayfield on November 16, 2025. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

Yesterday at Murrayfield Scotland lost to Argentina in front of a capacity crowd where alcohol is freely sold inside and outside of the stadium. Right enough the Scottish rugby fans probably needed a stiff drink after the most remarkable of collapses in the last 25 minutes but enough on that. (It would be like being 4-0 up with twenty minutes to play and you end up losing 6-4). Scotland eh?

A fan of Argentina sign their national anthem proudly prior to the Quilter Nations Series 2025 rugby international match between Scotland and Argentina at Scottish Gas Murrayfield on November 16, 2025. (Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

Back to football, the news from Pittodrie is certainly welcome and everyone in the game in Scottish football will hope that the trial is a success so that it can open up new revenue streams for the clubs and maybe bring some additional fans back to a game where they will finally be treated like sports fans across the board in all other sports. Why should football fans be treated differently?

Jota of Celtic shoots over the St Johnstone goal from a direct free-kick. St Johnstone v Celtic, Scottish Premiership, McDiarmid Park, Perth, 06 April 2025: Photo Stuart Wallace IMAGO/Shutterstock

And there’s also more progress on this that’s well worth mentioning, this time from the Scottish Championship where the American owners seem to be making a positive impact. Crowds are up, the team is clear at the top of the table and look set to bounce back into the Scottish Premiership. They are creating a standing section inside McDiarmid Park after listening to their young supporters and the St Johnstone owners have also opened a club shop in Perth City Centre. They also ditched the empty seats policy so if the Saints get promoted – as looks likely – the Celtic allocation will be much higher than under the previous owners.

More to the point, St Johnsotne too have been given an alcohol licence for their upcoming Championship matches against Queen’s Park and Greenock Morton. Writing in The Courier, Jim Spence discusses this and the fairness of football supporters gaining equality with other sports fans and also with the privileged who can afford the soft seats and the bar facilities in corporate areas and boxes.

“The paying punter has often been treated like an afterthought by those running football, so it’s good to see some consideration given to issues which lend enjoyment to a day at the match,” Spence states.

“As for a pint at the game, those prepared to splash out for the hospitality suites at football can enjoy a meal and a swally already, so fans being able to have a half-time alcoholic drink in a pop-up gazebo at the rear of McDiarmid’s East Stand – or in the Geoff Brown Stand’s Muirton Suite – democratises the football experience for all supporters.

McDiarmid Park, Perth, photo St Johnstone FC

“Not everyone has the money or the inclination to splash out on hospitality, but that’s no reason why they shouldn’t be able to enjoy a beer like those who can,” the former BBC Sports reporter wrote.

He added: “The game has moved on since the grim days of 1981, when the booze ban came into being following the drink-fuelled pitch riot at the (1980) Celtic v Rangers Scottish Cup final.

“The average fan has been treated like a criminal ever since. It’s time that ended. This is a good move for club finances AND for a civilised and social day out.”

As we pointed out last week, the drink consumed at the games back in the day, came from carry-outs rather than from sale on the premises as happens in the modern era and obviously comes with standard controls in place as rugby fans know and accept as do football fans around Europe. So it’s good to see some signs of this changing. It’s long overdue.

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