Peter Lawwell wants football fans to be treated like 21st century citizens with the right to drink alcohol.
Rugby fans are allowed a pint in Scotland while Hampden does a roaring trade selling booze at open air concerts.
English clubs are allowed to sell drink to their fans while Scottish supporters are treated as untrustworthy.
As well as raising some cash selling booze would allow fans to arrive at the stadium earlier to watch other matches while police can keep an eye on proceedings.
“We should be testing it again in a pilot,” Lawwell said. “We have to look at ways of increasing the GDP of Scottish football.
“If people came in to the stadium to have a drink, they would be in a controlled, policed environment. It’s more responsible.
“You could open the bars at 12.30pm, let people come in and watch the football or the racing. The alternative is, you go to the pub. There are no stewards, no police and people come rushing to the ground at 2.45pm.”
The discrimination against ordinary fans in the licensing of football grounds is bizarre with the same person with a £500 Celtic season ticket unable to drink at the ground but allowed to drink alcohol if he takes out a £70 hospitality ticket at another SPL ground.
Next year the alcohol ban is likely to be lifted for the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games which will take place at Celtic Park.
Lawwell is hopeful of opening talks with Glasgow City Council about the drinking ban.
Long over due losing income and treating football fans as alkys
100 quid of the ST and a pint at the game Peter will need a lie down shortly next he’ll be telling us focus as banned from section 111 lol HH well done Pedro
Off not of
I asked about getting into the licenced areas 2 seasons ago and was told £250 for a pass on top of the £570 I already paid for a season ticket for the privelage of paying ridicuolous prices. Is this not just a way to recoop the money Mr Lawell has just given away on season tickets? Seems to me the tail always wags the dog for Mr Lawell.
Fantastic idea!
Selling alcohol at the ground, along with SAFE standing areas would bring the punters back to Celtic Park in their droves.
Almost half the members on our supporters bus head straight to the various bars surrounding the stadium for a couple of pints before KO. Most of these places only open on match days so they would be no great loss to the local community.
Fans are going to drink anyway, whether they buy their booze in a bar or an off license. Personally, I would much rather they spend their money inside Celtic Park.
Hail Hail! Well done Peter!
We’ve endured this ludicrous ban for far too long.
I hope Peter is successful in this. What the GCC need to realise is that the same Scottish people who will attend the commonwealth games are the same people who attend football matches.
More money for the club and a better match day experience for the fan, it’s a no brainer. Hail hail
I was over from Boston in 2011 and ended up going to the Celtic Man U legends match. I asked the park attendant where the beer stand was and he laughed at me and told me they were not allowed to sell beer “cause the fans would be killing each other”. I was disappointed especially since I was already a few deep comming from Baird’s. Either way I had an amazing time! Never been to any sporting event outside the US and was so impressed with the fans there! Crowd was like just electric! I have to get to a league match to see what that’s like! Comming back summer 2014..can’t wait!!!
So….Get the punter’s in earlier and spending their hard earned brass on shit lager outta plastic cups while surrounding them (and the weans) with big screens enticing them to gamble?…And this will increase the SPLs GDP! and improve the match-day experience?Haud me back ah cannae get enough of yer modern sports vision!
Maybe you’d be better moving to North Korea and supporting a team there to get your football utopia. Hail hail