Alcohol to be sold at Scotland games at Hampden Park

Scotland fans will be able to buy alcohol at upcoming games at Hampden Park following a “good result” in earlier trials.

A booze ban is usually in place in Scottish football but trial alcohol sales have been taking place. These will continue at fixtures against Switzerland on September 29 and Slovenia next month.

Hampden Park was initially allowed to serve alcohol, from pop-up hospitality bars in the stadium concourse, during games against Japan and Curaçao earlier this year.

Addressing the city’s licensing board on Friday, licensing lawyer Stephen McGowan said: “You granted essentially equivalent licences for the friendlies…I’m very pleased to say they both went well, there were no adverse incidents.

“I think it was a good result for everyone involved with Hampden.”

The board then granted four occasional licences to cover two areas of the stadium concourse before the upcoming Nations League fixtures.

“I suppose these are the next step in this wider project… to gather data on the safe use of hospitality provision in concourse areas,” Mr McGowan said.

He said the project is taking an “incremental” and “prudent” approach and “public safety has been at the heart of that process”, adding: “You’ve now got the comfort of knowing that two matches have been licensed without any difficulties.”

The bars will open at 5.45pm ahead of the 7.45pm kick off. Alcohol sales will stop at 7pm with supporters allowed 15 minutes to drink up.

The hospitality areas will be in the level five east bronze and level five west bronze concourses. Only fans with tickets for seats in these areas are able to access the bars.

The general sale of alcohol has been prohibited in Scottish football stadiums since 1981.