For many football fans across the country, Saturday afternoons are a time to be cherished. At the end of a long working week, they can relax and enjoy some downtime with friends.
Thousands of supporters look forward to a couple of pints down the pub, watching the football, and, with any luck, maybe even winning a couple of quid if their coupon comes up.
These are habits which are deeply ingrained in the fabric and culture of Scottish society. For any young football fan who turns 18, buying a pint and putting a bet on is almost a rite of passage.
But, as an industry, Scottish football has a complex relationship with alcohol and gambling, something which has again come under the spotlight over these past couple of weeks.
There is a growing feeling that the current model with regards to the consumption of alcohol and sponsorship deals with drinks companies is unsustainable.
When it was announced last week that Carling would become the new official beer of Scottish football, the SPFL were branded out of touch for continuing to pursue such deals.
Carling have been announced as the official beer of the Scottish Professional Football League
SPFL CEO Neil Doncaster has come in for some criticism over the new agreement
Scottish football fans are unable to purchase alcohol within stadiums
Just last month, figures from the National Records of Scotland showed alcohol-related deaths across the country at a 15-year high.
Public Health Minister Jenni Minto said the Scottish Government continue to treat alcohol-related harm as a public health emergency.
Dr Sandesh Gulhane MSP, the Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, branded the figures around alcohol deaths in Scotland as ‘shameful’, insisting they remain ‘disgracefully high’.
When it comes to Scottish football, critics believe that the game’s powerbrokers have buried their heads in the sand with regard to alcohol sponsorship.
Likewise, when the SPFL announced William Hill as title sponsor of the Scottish Premiership this summer, critics argued that the governing body shouldn’t be getting into bed with gambling companies.
That deal is understood to be worth £10million spread across five years, a record figure for the SPFL. And therein lies the problem.
There is an acknowledgment that Scottish football’s reliance on booze and betting firms as revenue streams paints poor optics, but the lack of viable alternatives is a major issue.
Privately, SPFL sources have indicated that any moves to tighten the laws and restrict alcohol and gambling advertising in sport could be catastrophic to the Scottish sports industry.
Carling were the official shirt sponsor of both Celtic and Rangers from 2003-2010
These commercial deals are simply too valuable, something the SPFL have continued to stress in their discussions with the Scottish Government.
Public Health Scotland has been commissioned to review the evidence around the promotion and advertising of alcohol within Scottish sport.
Beyond whatever conclusions are drawn from that, the weight of public opinion will also play a significant part moving forward.
Just last year, the Holyrood Government carried out a public consultation on potential restrictions to alcohol advertising and promotion in Scotland.
Over three quarters (77 per cent) of respondents did not believe alcohol sponsorship in sports should be prohibited in Scotland.
Respondents cited a lack of data-driven evidence that prohibiting alcohol sponsorship would affect alcohol consumption.
The consultation findings simply do not support a blanket ban on alcohol advertising, something which would appear to strengthen the SPFL’s stance.
Members of the Tartan Army were able to enjoy a pint inside German grounds during Euro 2024
But the issue could yet be taken out of their hands. In the face of a public health crisis around alcohol-related deaths, the Scottish Government can’t be seen to be doing nothing.
They could yet look to introduce partial restrictions, despite the lack of evidence and widespread opposition from across the sporting spectrum.
Speaking to Mail Sport last week, Scottish Health Secretary Neil Gray said: ‘Public Health Scotland is being commissioned to review evidence and options for reducing exposure to alcohol marketing to ensure that our work is evidence-based and will deliver clear public health outcomes.
‘We regularly meet with the Scottish Professional Football League to discuss a wide range of issues, including the sale and consumption of alcohol at football matches.’
Two years ago, when this idea was first mooted, governing bodies across Scotland united to warn of the consequence of any ban on alcohol advertising.
Neil Doncaster, SPFL chief executive, said: ‘We will take time to consider these proposals in far greater detail and respond in due course, but even at an initial stage, it is clear that the sporting, social and financial implications could be extremely grave.
‘Sport worldwide depends to a very great degree on sponsorship, and drinks companies have a long and supportive history in the Scottish game.
‘Their valuable financial contribution is hugely important to the wellbeing of our sport and its ability to support a range of social benefits.
‘To remove that revenue stream, when we are experiencing the most significant economic challenges for a generation, could have huge implications for clubs and Scottish sport more generally.’
Ugly scenes after the 1980 Scottish Cup final between Celtic and Rangers led to ban
The SPFL declined Mail Sport’s request for an interview on the back of the Carling deal being announced last week.
Despite a reluctance to go on record whilst the issue is ongoing with the Scottish Government, Mail Sport understands the SPFL’s position is unchanged on the matter.
Scotland is not an outlier when it comes to the promotion of alcohol and gambling companies. There are various leagues around Europe which pursue similar streams of revenue.
The top flight in Portugal is sponsored by Betclic. In Sweden, their leagues are sponsored by Unibet. In Belgium, the top tier is sponsored by national beer company Jupiler.
These are just a few examples. On a bigger scale, UEFA has a major long-term sponsorship deal in place with Heineken.
If any ban was to be introduced in Scotland, that would pose major problems to either Celtic or Rangers if they were to play in the Champions League.
Beyond the debate around sponsorship, the issue of whether or not fans should be allowed to purchase alcohol at football matches in Scotland has been back on the table over recent weeks.
Two weeks ago, First Minister John Swinney insisted the SNP Government have no plans to lift the ban.
The legislation was introduced in 1980 after the disgraceful riots which followed that year’s Scottish Cup final between Rangers and Celtic at Hampden. It had been suggested by some MSPs, including Gray and others within Swinney’s own party, that the ban could be set to be lifted.
First Minister John Swinney (centre) has no immediate plans to lift the current restrictions
But the SNP leader quashed those suggestions, meaning that the ban is likely to remain in place for the foreseeable future.
But that stance, especially when viewed in conjunction with the laws around alcohol advertising, has been branded hypocritical and outdated by a prominent supporters’ group.
Speaking to Mail Sport, Alan Russell, chief executive of Supporters Direct Scotland, said: ‘This is the biggest source of frustration of all. Other sports, and other leisure activities, are treated differently to football.
‘The perception of football supporters seems to be that we are irresponsible and a danger to society, when the reality is that the vast majority are responsible people who simply want to enjoy themselves and support their team.
‘Current restrictions on alcohol sales target the majority, while allowing a minority (sponsors and hospitality guests) to drink alcohol, and only cover a very small part of the match-day experience — so are inherently unfair, and do nothing to improve public health.
‘Football fans are no different to any other section of society. Most people have a healthy relationship with alcohol, but some do not.’
Another source highlighted the difference in the laws and attitudes towards rugby, whose fans can freely purchase alcohol at matches.
‘I’ve been a season ticket holder with Glasgow Warriors for nearly 20 years. When the club was playing at Firhill years ago, you could buy a pint at the rugby on the Friday night no problem at all,’ they observed.
‘But if Partick Thistle were playing at home on the Saturday afternoon, you couldn’t. To me, that always seemed a bit daft.
Scottish rugby fans have no issues buying or consuming alcohol at Murrayfield
‘I’m a lifelong rugby fan myself, but I’ve seen the state some fans get into on Six Nations matchdays at Murrayfield.
‘Many of them end up blind drunk but nobody makes an issue of it. But if football fans were to walk around Edinburgh city centre in that kind of state, they would end up in the back of a police van.’
Speaking when the idea was first mooted two years ago, SFA chief executive Ian Maxwell said: ‘Scottish football is already restricted by the Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act 1980, which for more than 40 years has prohibited the sale of alcohol within football grounds.
‘As a consequence, we cannot control consumption levels that take place outside of the stadium bowl and thus cannot be part of a data-led solution.
‘We will contribute to the consultation to ensure a fact-based approach and to highlight the consequences of any legislation being imposed.
‘Those would be not just financial consequences, but in potentially being precluded from bidding for major football events, as well as other world-class, international sporting events where alcohol partnerships are an integral part of a diverse sponsorship portfolio. For the avoidance of doubt, the national game remains supportive of responsible drinking campaigns, especially aimed at harmful drinkers, and will continue to use the power of football to promote that responsibility.’
Commenting on the SPFL’s new deal with Carling last week, Alison Douglas, chief executive of Alcohol Focus Scotland, said: ‘This is a particularly disappointing decision at a time when Scotland is in the grip of an alcohol emergency and has just seen alcohol deaths reach a 15-year high.
‘The evidence is overwhelming, alcohol marketing increases alcohol consumption and early onset alcohol use by children and young people.
‘The SPFL should follow the lead of the Scottish Women’s Football League and recognise that alcohol is detrimental to the health and performance of anyone wishing to participate in football — and to the health and wellbeing of fans — and reject sponsorship deals with alcohol brands.’
The Scottish Women’s Premier League are vehemently opposed to any form of alcohol and gambling sponsorship.
But the landscape in which they operate is completely different to that of the men’s game in Scotland, where there is a huge reliance on such streams of revenue.
Until such time as legislation prevents them from doing so, sporting bodies will continue to pursue these deals.
Unless other companies start showing a willingness to pump money into Scottish football, the SPFL simply can’t afford to snub the booze and betting companies.
