The sign on the way out of the Itchen Stand at St Mary’s Stadium in Southampton clearly says ‘No Alcohol Beyond This Point’. Below it, a steward is talking to a young woman holding a pint of cider. A familiar scene across the country but with a twist — the steward is encouraging her to take her drink the stands.

Southampton are one of four teams in the Women’s Championship trialling alcohol in view of the pitch for their remaining home games this season. The other teams are Bristol City, Newcastle and Birmingham.

This season’s trial is a first in nearly four decades. The ban on alcohol consumption in view of the pitch is a UK government legislation that has been in place in the highest five tiers of the men’s game since 1985 in an attempt to deal with hooliganism, a major problem for the sport that decade. The Sporting Events (Control of Alcohol) Act 1985 places restrictions on where and when alcohol can be consumed, including placing limits at grounds but also on buses and trains to matches.

The law has also been generally applied to the top two tiers of women’s football, albeit with the occasional loophole. Lewes FC, whose men’s team are in the seventh tier of English football and thus exempt, did serve alcohol in view of the pitch when they were in the Women’s Championship last year. Fans at rugby and cricket matches across the country are able to drink alcohol in view of the pitch.

The trials in the Women’s Championship are opening up the possibility that the women’s game can take its own path and create a unique match-day experience.

Early results, anecdotal and otherwise, show a positive response among fans and around the grounds. Both Southampton and Bristol City saw their highest crowds of the season with the debut of the trial. Southampton had the second-highest women’s football attendance of last weekend with 7,012. That was only trumped by the 22,497 in attendance for Sunday’s Manchester derby in the Women’s Super League (WSL) at the Etihad. Prior to Sunday, their highest Women’s Championship attendance had been 3,416 against London City Lionesses in April of last year.

Nikki Doucet, CEO of the Women’s Professional Leagues Limited (WPLL), originally announced the alcohol trial in October at Leaders Week London, an annual conference that brings together sport executives from around the world.

“Our fan base and the behaviour is different (from men’s football fans) and ultimately, it’s about being able to give our fans choices while maintaining the safety,” Doucet said, in response to a question about whether fans could expect to see beer in the stands at women’s games in the future.

Both Ashton Gate, where Bristol City Women play, and Kingston Park, where Newcastle Women play, already serve alcohol in view of the pitch when they host rugby union matches at the grounds. Romaney Pinnock, Bristol City’s Head of Women’s Football, said that was a key factor in their participation in the trial.

“It’s not a foreign concept to us,” she told ahead of the trial’s start. “We’re well set up to help the trial with Ashton Gate being a multi-use sports and event stadium.

“In general, the behaviours of our fanbase are quite different to that of men’s football and we don’t foresee any issue in that regard. So we’re open to the idea of saying, ‘What happens if we give people free choice to take a beer out in view of the pitch?’

“We’re approaching it with an open mind. We’ve got the resources to help with reporting on it and making sure it’s managed tightly. We’re interested to see how the fans pick it up — if they do.”

Talking to at half-time of Sunday’s match against Sunderland, Marianne Spacey-Cale, Southampton’s Director of Women’s Football, says: “We’re always trying to think ahead and forward. What would be the benefit for the game and what would be the benefit for us?

“We’ve got fantastic infrastructure. We’ve got great people working around the stadium, across men’s and women’s football. Knowing that everybody’s behind trial gives the opportunity to try something for the fans, so it gives something back to the fans that come week in, week out.

“You’ve got to try and appeal to different audiences. There’s a good strong crowd out there. How many of them have come because they want to be part of the trial? If you’re attracting a different kind of audience and then on the pitch, the game is exciting and what you want to see, then you get a new generation or new audience coming in.”

At Ashton Gate, electronic displays on the concourse let fans know that they could take drinks to their seats. At St Mary’s, however, some fans were confused. One fan expressed disappointment that she had only bought a half-pint, unaware she could have taken her drink back to her seat. But the overall reaction to the trial was positive.

“It’s an interesting choice,” says Rosie Newhill from Southampton. “It’s nice to add to the atmosphere and bring people into the stands a bit more. When you have alcohol at half-time, people are rushing to drink it or it takes people out of the stands before the half finishes.”

There are challenges. Southampton made the decision not to have alcohol available in view of their pitch for their derby match against Portsmouth on March 22. Women’s matches have not necessarily attracted the same fan bases that cause a raucous atmosphere during men’s derby matches, but there is still a heightened sensitivity around those matches.

“We have got to look at the right thing to do for the fans that come week in, week out,” explains Spacey, who has been with the club since 2018, originally as head coach before becoming the full-time Director of Women’s Football this season. She said that a potential issue of over-zealous alcohol consumption caused by the long-standing rivalry between Portsmouth and Southampton could have derailed the trial.

“We’ve got four really good games to have the trial and we’re excited to see where it will lead and what it might bring.”

For Bristol City, the trial continues the strong work they have done in incentivising attendances. Last season, when they were in the WSL, they averaged an attendance of 6,974 across the season, the fifth-most in the league. While relegation to the Championship has impacted those numbers, Pinnock emphasises their approach extends across the multi-sport group that encompasses Bristol City, Bristol Bears in rugby and Bristol Fives in basketball.

“We have approached match days in a very special way. When someone walks through those gates until they leave, we want them to have a full experience, no matter what demographic they come from. That’s a strategic pillar in how Bristol Sport works. When you attend a match day, you’re going to have a great time. That’s the foundation that we start with, then every day runs from that,” Pinnock says.

“We have this amazing privilege that people have given us three hours of their time on a Sunday for us. How can we maximise their experience and make them feel like a big part of something?”

Southampton are also focusing on varying the match-day experience, trialling different activities throughout the season, including a cocktail masterclass outside the ground.

After the trial this season, the participating clubs will meet with WPLL to discuss their experiences and findings. Southampton will be focusing on two areas of success in particular.

“Is the match-day experience driving new supporters with the trial and is it a revenue stream?” says Spacey. “What’s important is that we understand what success looks like from everybody, across the WPLL and the clubs that have taken part. It will be good to all get together after the trial is over and share experiences. But then go, ‘What’s next?’”

Extending the trial, or even making it permanent, might not be simple. It is not entirely clear how it might interact with the existing government legislation, or whether it would even be welcomed by other clubs in the Championship or WSL. The WPLL have said they are willing to trial a variety of changes to the top two divisions, on and off the pitch, as they look to make their mark on women’s football.

It’s too soon to tell if this trial becomes their first significant flourish, or ends up on the cutting room floor.

This article originally appeared in The Athletic.

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