A well-earned pint at the match or a recipe for 'chaos'?

Drinking pints and watching football are two of the most typically British past times imaginable. But for many people, for 41 years, the two have been divorced from one another.

Under current English and Welsh law, alcohol cannot be consumed in view of the pitch when watching matches in the top five men's leagues. Andy Burnham believes that should change - and he feels the law in its current form amounts to 'discrimination'.

Margaret Thatcher's government scrambled to ban booze on the terraces back in 1985, when a perceived culture of hooliganism among football supporters hit new heights. In March that year, a riot took place during the Luton Town v Millwall FA Cup clash, which had to be stopped for 25 minutes.

Two months later, 39 people died and 600 were injured in the Heysel stadium disaster, when crowd trouble led to a crush at the European Cup final between Liverpool and Juventus. That incident led to English teams being banned from European tournaments for five years.

Thankfully, much has changed since then. In recent decades, attending live football matches has been considered a far more family-friendly activity than in the past.

So perhaps it shouldn't come as a surprise that the Prime Minister's intervention on the matter has divided opinion among fans. If football seems a far safer environment now than before, would bringing pints back to terraces be a reward for good behaviour, or risk reversing decades of progress?

On a day Manchester United are playing at home, you can guarantee the Tollgate will be packed. The pub sits next door to Trafford Bar Metrolink stop, a short walk from Old Trafford football ground.

Pub manager Adam Dillnutt, 38, has been a season ticket holder at United for eight years. He isn't worried that changing the rule on terraces would impact trade, as alcohol is already offered on the concourses at football stadia before matches and at half-time.

Instead, Adam worries about the impact any rule change could have on the match-going experience. He points to the reams of social media footage from football fan parks during events like the World Cup, when pints are regularly seen hurled up in the air after goals are scored.

"Where I sit it's chaos," he said. "I'm in the Stretford End, in the singing section. I think beer would end up spilt everywhere where I am. When a goal goes in, everyone would be throwing pints everywhere. Me personally, I don't think I would like it."

Although he wouldn't fancy getting drenched by falling lager, Adam is less concerned about the impact on supporter safety as rival fans are 'sectioned off'. "Everyone is full of beer before they get to the ground anyway," he said.

"How many pints are they going to drink in 45 minutes when watching the football? It's not going to be a lot."

Martin Johnson, 35, is a familiar face pulling pints behind the bar at the Tollgate - although regulars don't realise he's actually a Manchester City fan. Like Adam, he thinks fans would behave with booze on the terraces.

Asked whether he would like to see alcohol allowed in the stands, Martin said: "I don't see why not. It's not going to cause trouble. You are only there 90 minutes with a break anyway, you are not going to have that many [pints]."

Martin also suggested the change could benefit parents bringing their kids to the game, who could enjoy a drink with the match but might be stopped from entering pubs before and after. He said: "A lot of pubs don't let kids in. They could be more happy with having a drink in the ground."

Tollgate punter Geraldine Marsh, 70, used to be a regular at matches. She believes allowing alcohol on terraces could add to the atmosphere - although she believes drinks could be cheaper at the pub.

She said: "I don't mind them bringing it back - bring back that bit of atmosphere. I know there used to be trouble, but they're more sensible now.

"I used to go to the matches myself. I don't think it would make much difference. The prices they charge at matches anyway - it's so expensive, probably about twice what it is in the pub."

But Geraldine's husband, Frank Marsh, was less certain about the possible rule change. The 72-year-old said: "I don't know really, if they have plastic pots they will end up throwing them. It's a hard question, very hard."

Tommy Grants, 63, wouldn't want to see a return to fans being allowed to drink alcohol on the terraces. He believes football matchdays are now more family-focused, although he admits pubs like the Tollgate 'get rammed' for hours before a match.

"Back in the day, when we were playing the likes of Man City, Leeds, it would be brutal," said Tommy. "[That was] with drinking in the stadium.

"Maybe it would help the clubs if they drink on the terraces. I remember in the 70s and 80s when people used to drink on the terraces everywhere. I'm an old Stretford Ender."

Tommy suggested it might be better if clubs considered not allowing alcohol 'for certain matches' with heated rivalries. He added: "Nowadays it's a family thing, people taking their kids and that to enjoy themselves."

The PM previously questioned the logic behind the ban when the Hill Dickinson Stadium - the home of his beloved Everton Football Club - hosted rugby league's Magic Weekend in July. He said at the time: "How come these lads can do that [drink pints] in my seat here when we can’t do that at an Everton home game? Something wrong there. I think we need to look at that."

Mr Burnham returned to the topic earlier this week, when he suggested a ban on football fans drinking alcohol in the stands amounted to 'discrimination', when fans of other sports do not face the same restrictions. “I don’t think it’s fair for football fans to be singled out in that way and I made that point," he said.

“I think that legislation dates to an era where football was very different. And I do believe there is a case to remove that discrimination. There are different ways it could be done, perhaps on a trial basis.

“But I’m not going to back away from what’s been a long-held view of mine. I don’t see how it can be fair that some supporters of one sport can be treated differently from others.”

Sacha Lord, chair of the Night Time Industries Association, tweeted that the move would be a 'lifeline' to struggling lower league clubs. He added: "I've just spoken to a director of a club in the National League, who thinks this is worth minimum 100k per season. Brilliant move."

The ban in its current form prevents fans in England and Wales drinking alcohol in sight of the pitch for games in the Premier League, Championship, League One, League Two and National League. However, at games in leagues below that level - such as National League North, and the North West Counties divisions - fans can drink alcohol while watching the game. Alcohol is also allowed at Women's Super League (WSL) football matches.

The PM's view is one shared by the Football Supporters’ Association (FSA). Chair Tom Greatrex said: "The FSA has always argued that it’s unfair to criminalise football fans for having a pint while watching the match - especially since you can sit in the same seat drinking alcohol whilst watching an Oasis gig or rugby league. Many clubs are in favour as well.

"WSL and WSL2 ran a successful pilot, meaning fans can now drink in the stands at many grounds, while the EFL has long supported a trial. We welcome the prime minister’s comments and totally agree that the legislation is outdated and deserves to be reviewed. We look forward to being part of that consultation."

But many football fans have taken a different stance. A poll from YouGov published on Thursday (September 24) found that, of the respondents who had previously attended a match, 64 per cent said the ban should remain, while 26 per cent said it should be abolished, and 10 per cent said they didn't know.

Of those fans who regularly attend games, a similar 63 per cent said the ban should remain, while 35 per cent said it should be abolished. More than half of respondents who had attended a game also felt that lifting the ban would worsen the matchday experience, compared to 20 per cent who felt it would improve the experience.

Manchester Evening News readers were also divided on social media after the proposal was first discussed. Sarah Fawcett commented on the M.E.N. Facebook page: "Do anyone see how much beer was thrown in the air at public screenings, when England scored. Hasn't AB got more important things to worry about?"

Sam Corry wrote: "A recipe for disaster." Jill Knox said: "Leave it as it is. Nowt worse than being covered in lager/beer when we score."

But Chris Moran disagreed, commenting: "Alcohol should be allowed. Football stadia are now all seated and the clientele are a far cry from the hooligans of yesteryear."

Kelly Gorton-Smith added: "Heard someone this morning essentially say they can trust rugby fans not to be violent but can’t trust football fans. Interesting. I’ve been to matches of both sports and only had to dodge bottles being thrown at us at one of them….. it wasn’t the football!"

The UK Football Policing Unit (UKFPU) has warned that it would be 'incredibly rash to make fundamental changes' to the law without 'meaningful consultation' with specialist police. A spokesperson added: "The UKFPU would welcome a meeting with the PM to discuss his views and explain the challenges these proposed changes would bring to policing and the safety of staff and fans at football games.

"Other sports simply don’t see the violence and criminal behaviour from their supporters that football does, albeit a minority, with alcohol often playing a significant part in violent and disorderly behaviour. It would be irresponsible to fuel this by allowing greater alcohol consumption during games."

One of the PM's closest political allies also suggested that any rule changes should not put safety 'at risk'. City fan and education secretary Lucy Powell, Labour's deputy leader and Manchester Central MP, told BBC Radio 5 Live: "I go to the football most weekends with my young son and, you know, 30 years ago that probably wouldn’t have been all that comfortable an environment for a mum and their child to go to, but things have changed significantly.

"And that’s why we’ve been able to reintroduce safe standing, for example, which is something that fans want. So I think it’s a conversation we need to have to make sure that we keep the great atmosphere... I think we need to do this in consort with fans and with football, so that we make sure we keep the really good atmosphere, the good behaviour, and we don’t put that at risk.”