Scottish football club thanks fans after successful alcohol selling pilot

A Scottish football club have thanked supporters after an initial pilot to sell alcohol at their stadium passed successfully.

League Two side Stirling Albion were defeated by Hamilton Academical at Forthbank in the group stages of the League Cup on Saturday.

Alcohol was available to those with general sale match tickets for the first time in over 40 years in Scotland following a blanket ban that has been in force since 1981.

Beer was also on sale to fans attending the Arbroath v St Mirren game at Gayfield in the same competition at the weekend.

On Tuesday night, Partick Thistle fans will be able to enjoy an alcoholic drink at their game against Stranraer at Firhill.

It comes after seven Scottish clubs were granted permission to sell alcohol as part of an initiative bidding to show that relaxing the long-enforced ban can “enhance the fan experience”.

Up until last weekend, the only supporters permitted to have an alcoholic drink inside the stadium were those who had paid extra for hospitality tickets.

Stirling Albion were one of the first to be granted a licence and on Tuesday they revealed it had been an overall success.

Binos supporters were offered the opportunity to purchase an alcoholic drink in a concourse area behind the south terrace pre-match.

And the club is pleased with how well the event went, as they received positive messages from fans regarding their experience.

Fraser McIntyre, commercial director of Stirling Albion, said: “We’d like to thank our supporters who attended the fan zone at Forthbank on Saturday.

“The feedback from fans who came on has been really encouraging — particularly around how the option to enjoy a pre-match drink enhanced their overall attendance of the game.

“The weather was excellent, which certainly helped, and we also launched our new kit on the day, so it was an extremely positive afternoon.

“We always believed the event would be well-received, and it was great to see everyone enjoying themselves and acting responsibly throughout the day.

“We’re also grateful to the various parties who helped make this event happen, including the SPFL, Stirling Council, the Scottish FA, and Police Scotland.”

Ayr United have also been granted an alcohol license for two League Cup games, with around 60 fans being offered the chance to have a beer before and at half-time of their game against Arbroath at Somerset Park this coming Saturday.

As part of their initiative, a select number of tickets are available for £35, which includes four pints of Moretti before the game and one at half-time.