There are a number of well intended threads on various club boards following on from the dramatic and terrible events that happened at the HJ this weekend. Unfortunately a number of them have decended into a "ban drink/why" tennis match, so in order that those can revert to their original purposes lets have this debate here.

To start the ball rolling I say that i like a drink like the next person BUT tbh Ive never actually had a drink whilst watching a rugby. Had a few AFTER the game but not before or during. So after stating my stance let me suggest two possible solutions for debate (but admit they are not the only ones)

1. Alcohol sales are BANNED in rugby grounds.
2. Alcohol sales are ALLOWED in rugby grounds but the club is tougher in drunk and antisocial behavior.

My own personal preference would be number 2 BUT that would also mean with it would come the responsibility of all sensible fans to support the club and its officer/stewards in ejecting any intoxicated person. No more of these "hey why you picking on him, he's only had a couple". I know the club is tough on smoking when its identified, would you support (and I mean fully support, not just pay lip service) zero tolerance on drunken behavour. And before you say "of course it will only affect the idiots", many times Ive seen regular fans who have obviously had a few but who simple stand and watch the game quietly in between their drinks.

Sensible comments welcomed and let see if we can come up with a ground swell of opinion that means, if nothing else, as a club we can take steps to making the terraces of the HJ completely family friendly.

I would love to come up with an answer for this but I honestly believe it's something that will never be kept under control.

I must admit the stewards took a no nonsense approach last night a fair few were ejected for smoking and being abusive

People will go drinking before the game. If its a late kick off and weekend then the chance is they will be in the pub at opening. If you look at yesterday how many fev and fax fans were in the ground for the start of the second game let alone half of it.

The thing that needs to be controlled is that drunk people are being allowed into grounds and then are allowed again to purchase drinks. Both are against the law. But anything for an easy life by the stewards and food staff. Who dont want the trouble of getting a face full of abuse.

Stevo. I think you have a point, our stewards in this past have been a little, er er er er ok. Maybe they should commit to zero tolerance!

Not controlling drunken behaviour can affect a place's drinks licence, so if the club were to serve or even allow in to the ground people already drunk then they are in breach of the conditions. Problem occurrs because you have kids serving the ale who aren't old or confident enough to refuse to serve people already well under the influence and keep topping up the alcohol levels.

Magic Piano you make a valid point about the age of those serving. I certainly wouldnt feel confident refusing to serve someone twice my size who is already intoxicated.

Unfortunately i dont see how the stewards could clamp down to zero tolerance within the terraces as theyre damned if they do damned if they dont already. Im not a big fan of a number of the South Stand stewards who seem to think they are doormen in the attitude and approach they have. But would the wider fan base support this approach by them when they already feel a certain resentment towards them?

This season has seen an increase from my experience in incidents involving our fans (held a season ticket for 3 years) and seems to me to be a wider problem across the sport.

But i would say option 2 from the original post would be my choice as i do like a pint in each half!

Has anyone noticed how the trouble mainly happens in games with the same combination..?

Saturday or Sunday late kick off's..And usually a big game i.e. Cup Final,Semi Final,Derby or games between big rivals...

Its give the idiots who come out of the woodwork for these big games more time on the pop...Maybe Sky and the clubs should pay close attention to when they kick off for these big games....

Another thing that could work is the token exchange thing they have a Catalan..This slows down people's drinking as you need to stand in line twice..Once to change your money to tokens and again to get your beer....Although this is a road i wouldn't like to see our club go down..

For the record i'd like to say i probably have 1 or 2 pints at the most during a game..Sometimes i don't bother if the queue's are too long...But i have a few before the game and after and i've never been involved in any trouble at a rugby match..

That is the recurrent problem everywhere not only at Rugby grounds unfortunately. People seem to forget that it is illegal to serve alcohol to someone who is drunk. Perhaps if that law was enforced more places would start to crack down and not let people get to the state some do which often is the trigger for further trouble.

I don't think there is an easy solution to the problem, I certainly don't think banning all drinking in grounds would achieve anything. The key if anything is ensuring the stewards are able to control situations before they arise and have no qualms about throwing people out if deemed necessary. I would imagine enough people being thrown out would soon make others realise that certain behaviour will not be accepted at ANY rugby grounds.

The young people serving food and drink at the HJ could not refuse to serve a pack of Drunken men, and the stewards did a good job on Sunday. I have been known to criticise the stewards in the past for being ott.

If you can ban smoking in Stadiums then you can ban alcohol too.

Too many people can't handle their ale. People may say don't punish everyone, but its hardly punishing everyone is it? Because not everybody drinks. If people who drink can''t go an hour and a half with a drink they should be having a quiet word with themselves. Its why I've become to hate the South Stand.

But why should someone have to go for an hour and a half without having a pint at the game? Is that not part of the enjoyment of match day. I quite like watching the Wire with a pint in my hand. Is that wrong?

Why should someone have a to go an hour and a half without a cigarette? Its the same principal.

The problem is when you get

who start spilling it over everyone or worse throwing beer when we score.

If you can't go an hour and a half without a pint then you have a problem. I quite like watching Wire in the nude but I have to clothe up when I go to games. You can put down the pint glass too. Everything will be alright, don't worry.

Have you ever considered I might be putting forward an argument of liberalism and personal freedom, rather than I am an alcoholic? Surely each invididual is free to take accountability for their actions and enjoy their life so long as it is not at the detriment of others?

You seem to have a very authoritarian view point and enjoy telling others what they can and cannot do to suit your aims. Your argument is flawed as you may as well say "Why not ban Rugby? If you cannot go a week without seeing a live game you have a problem".

The smoking ban is the law so hardly a comparable situation. Anyone smoking is going to impact on others via passive smoking. Most peoples drinking doesn't impact.

I could quite easily go for the game without drinking, most of the time I do. But sometimes a strange phenomena happens and I WANT to drink. I do so without it causing problems for anyone else, nobody else is harmed by breathing the same air as me after I have had a drink or 2!

But it often is at the detriment of others. Hence, why it is a problem in rugby league today.

I do not enjoy telling others what to do and surely you are contradicting yourself when you have already stated you enjoy a pint whilst watching the rugby, therefore you argue for something you enjoy. Shock! When I watch rugby, personally drinking alcohol is the last thing on my mind.

P.S. A week is a lot longer than an hour and a half

Drinking on the street is against the law. Underage drinking is against the law. Serving alcohol to people who are intoxicated is against the law.

Of course peoples drinking does impact on others around them. See Wembley for that.

I haven't got a problem per se with people (who able to do so) having a drink on the concourse and keeping themselves to themselves. But its when they cause a nuisance on the terraces is when it becomes more of a problem, especially when there are children around.

Why should those of us who know our limits be punished because of those who can't?

I've never got in a fight through booze. I bet 90% of people who do were looking for trouble anyway, and use alcohol either for courage or as an excuse for their behaviour.

Jeeze, you'd hardly be being punished are you???

An hour a week at most without a drink. Or not being able to drink on the terraces at the rugby. No real punishment is it?

Whilst we are being draconian I think they should ban the pies and mushy pea combo. The noxious, odious, digestive gasses this fayre creates when consumed at the game affects my enjoyment in general, and upsets my delicate sensibilities in particular.

You are missing the point. The whole "pro alcohol at games" debate is about having the [ichoice[/i.

And if I had the choice, I'd choose that nobody was allowed any

I always have a few beers before games at the HJ, it's all part of the matchday experience. As someone has already said, those who want to drink ale and then cause trouble will do it whatever you try to do to stop it. At the Featherstone cup match there were people in the town centre at opening time. I walked through the town from Bridge Foot an hour before the game and then had a couple of beers in the Red Lion. From the Hop Pole onwards I was amazed at the number of drunken verbally aggressive Fev supporters staggering from Pub to Pub. I tried to start a conversation with a couple of people in the Lion and was told to 'F Off.'
There were further problems in the ground as most of them walked in just after kick-off and expected to stand in a particularly busy area of the South Stand and the Stewards were subject to considerable abuse.
The only long term solution is to ensure that these people are banned from matches. Stopping beer sales will just penalise the normal law abiding supporter who likes a beer.

I simply cannot see the need. Fights still break out at football grounds even on European nights when the grounds are dry.

Taking in all that has been posted, would to me seem the best idea would be to only allow people to drink beer in the concourses and stopped from taking it onto the terrace. The people who can't go an hour without ale can have a drink, but the time to drink would be reduced, so less intake less drunk people.

In the stands, no beer that can be thrown over people Would seem to be the logical idea.

Also at half time have a steward (Who's not afraid of doing his job) for each bar to ensure underage fools don't get served and also check if someone is already in a state.

Not ideal for all but hay just a thought,

Jack.