beer to football

[bwfcolinh58]

what is the exact ruling on this,we have been stopped near grounds and charged, with taking alchohol to a designated sporting event.
can you take it so long as you are not within a certain radius of the ground,because last night a certain football club offered free food and BEER to fans who travelled on their coaches???????

[Buenchico]

Quote:
"The Sporting Events (Control of Alcohol etc) Act 1985
- prohibits the possession of alcohol on the way to matches on football special coaches and trains and makes it an offence to be drunk on them
- makes an offence of trying to enter a ground when drunk or in possession of alcohol; of possessing or consuming alcohol within view of the pitch during the period of the match; or being drunk during the period of the match
- provides the police the power to search someone reasonably suspected of committing an offence under the Act, and to arrest such a person: this may include searching coaches or trains carrying passengers to or from matches or on arrival as well as searching fans waiting to enter a ground or inside a ground".

Source:
http://www.ias.org.uk/resources/factsheets/law .pdf#search=%22Sporting%20Events%20(Control%20 of%20Alcohol%20etc.)%22

Note that the 1985 Act only refers to coaches travelling TO a match. It's not an offence, under the 1985 Act, to possess or consume alcohol on the return journey (which probably explains how a club can offer free beer). Note that (under a separate, 1980, Act) the Transport Commissioners can impose regulations (prohibiting the possession or consumption of alcohol) on specific return coach services but there is no general prohibition. (There is also separate legislation which permits British Transport Police to designate certain train servives, in either direction, as 'dry').

Chris