Trials allowing football fans to drink alcohol at matches are being proposed by top-flight clubs in Scotland in a bid to attract bigger crowds.
A controlled pilot in one major stadium, the sale of low-strength beer, and alcohol bans during potentially volatile fixtures are among a raft of proposals being put forward by some of Scotland's biggest clubs.
Meanwhile, Scottish football's governing body has compiled a report supporting the move as part of a wider plan to improve the matchday experience.
The dossier, including statistics on crime and disorder, will be presented to the Scottish Government and Police Scotland during the first half of 2015.
The Herald has also learned major clubs favour the introduction of low-strength beer similar to that sold at stadia in the Netherlands, limited 'tokens' to season book holders and drinking permitted only in concourse areas and at designated, as is permitted at English grounds.
They claim stadia offer a more controlled environment in which to consume alcohol rather than nearby pubs and drinking dens, adding that allowing ordinary fans to drink would give the game parity with other forms of entertainment, from rugby to rock concerts.
But sources within the game said football had to "get its story right" and that fans and clubs had to present the right image to see a change in the law dating back early 35 years.
The crackdown on alcohol stretches back to the 1980 Scottish Cup final when Celtic and Rangers fans clashed on the pitch.
Alcohol can only be sold to fans in hospitality and corporate areas during football matches.
Yesterday, Scotland's new justice secretary Michael Matheson again appeared to rule out its reintroduction, saying there was no appetite for change and adding: "Even if there was any consideration of looking at this matter there would have to be a consultation with the police, other enforcement bodies and local authorities to consider what the implications were."
But clubs and the SFA have said they will continue to pursue the issue.
A Celtic spokesman said: "We need to do everything we can to enhance the matchday experience for all supporters.
"Football is a social event being attended more and more by families, therefore we feel in 2014 alcohol within the stadium would be taken sensibly.
"A carefully controlled pilot in an appropriate stadium which could be monitored and evaluated would be the way forward."
Partick Thistle chairman David Beattie said he too supported a controlled trial, adding: "Why should Scottish supporters not have something that supporters in England can have? As long as it's in a controlled way, football is a sporting event and at most sporting events you can have alcohol these days."
One other SPFL chairman has told The Herald of his support, with one senior figure in the game adding: "There are 'fan zones' serving beer to fans all over Europe yet our supporters are left to get drunk in pubs. This needs to change."
Labour MSP Michael McMahon, who has supported a number of football issues, said: "The Scottish Government has a negative attitude to fans and should consider changes including standing areas, creating a family-friendly atmosphere and treating supporters like adults. They and Police Scotland treat the working class sport like a second class sport."
An SFA spokesman said: 'We are undertaking, in collaboration with the SPFL, an in-depth consultation on the current reality and the many steps that will ultimately achieve improvement in the Scottish match day experience before, during and after games.
"Within that paper, there will be a series of work streams that we will work collectively on to provide a fact-based approach to making the necessary improvements."
Police Scotland assistant chief constable Bernie Higgins said the force still believed in a 'no alcohol at football' policy but that he had had informal discussions with football authorities and called for them to carry out "a wide ranging public consultation" to be "undertaken beyond the footballing community".
He said: "To my knowledge this has not been done as yet."
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article