Memorandum by the Premier League (AL 80)
ALCOHOL AND SPORT
INTRODUCTION
The Premier League represents the 20 Football
Clubs at the top level of English football. It is wholly owned
by the Clubs, organises and regulates the competition, and carries
out certain commercial functions on behalf of the League as a
whole. These functions include the selling of media rights and
some sponsorship arrangements; however each Club remains in control
of its own commercial activities including sponsorship.
Companies wishing to enter into sponsorship
agreements can therefore do so on an individual basis with one
or more Clubs, and/or enter into a commercial relationship with
the Premier League itself where the intellectual property underpinning
that relationship relates to the League as a separate identity.
Commercial arrangements with alcohol companies
include:
— Pouring rights—the right to provide
alcohol for sale at football grounds.
— Official supplier status—the right
to be known as the official supplier to or commercial partner
of a Club or the Premier League.
— Sponsor—the right to be recognised
as a sponsor of the Club or the Premier League or of a specific
Club or Premier League activity (such as sponsoring a website).
— Shirt Sponsor—the right for the
name of the company to appear on the team shirts.
— Advertising—the right to commercially
acquire advertising space in Club or Premier League media, such
as matchday programmes, pitchside displays, websites, and display
boards at grounds.
THE REGULATORY
FRAMEWORK
The Premier League and all Premier League Clubs
recognise and operate within the Portman Group and related Advertising
Standards Authority regulations in this area although are not
themselves signatories to the Portman Group itself (that is for
the manufacturers and distributors of alcohol products). These
means, inter alia, that advertisements cannot claim that consumption
of alcohol contributes to social success, should not target the
young, and should not encourage irresponsible or excessive use
of alcohol. Clubs have also agreed to abide by the Portman Group
decision to remove alcohol branding from child-size shirts.
All Premier League Clubs are Licensed Premises,
therefore meeting the standards set by their local licensing authorities,
in addition to meeting the extra requirements expected of football
grounds. These include the requirement that alcohol cannot be
consumed within sight of the pitch from fifteen minutes before
kick-off until fifteen minutes after the end of the match. Control
of drunkenness is a high priority for our Clubs in ensuring the
safety and comfort of fans and staff in attendance on matchdays
and is a key part of stewarding. The impact of alcohol consumption
on fan behaviour is taken into account in determining kick-off
times in discussion with the Police. All Clubs recognise the importance
of operating with due regard to licensing and other obligations
in this area and in any event, failures in this area would not
be acceptable to the Local Authority Safety Advisory Committees
which issue Stadium Safety Certificates.
THE PREMIER
LEAGUE
Budweiser is a website partner of the Premier
League and sponsors the Fantasy Premier League component of the
site. The Premier League website does not carry Budweiser advertising
beyond the brand name and logo and a link to Budweiser's own site.
PREMIER LEAGUE
CLUBS
So far as we are aware all Premier League Clubs
have a pouring rights arrangement. In addition, most Clubs have
an official supplier/partner agreement in place. Two Clubs, Everton
and Liverpool, have alcohol brand shirt sponsors (Chang and Carlsberg
respectively), with Liverpool moving to a financial services shirt
sponsor as of next season.
Alcohol advertising in Club media is always
within the Portman Group/Advertising Standards Authority guidelines
and generally includes reference to "drink aware" and
other responsible drinking messages.
THE PREMIER
LEAGUE'S
GENERAL APPROACH
TO ALCOHOL
ADVERTISING AND
SPONSORSHIP
The Premier League and its Clubs always seek
to operate in a socially responsible manner. We have a conservative
interpretation of compliance with Portman Group and related codes,
seeking to be clearly within the rules at all times. We do not
test the boundaries of those rules nor do we lobby to have them
changed. During the consultation around the question of alcohol
branding on child-size replica shirts we noted the absence of
any evidence linking such branding with alcohol consumption by
the young but nevertheless fully comply with the subsequent changes
to the Code.
We recognise that alcohol consumption can be
an issue of controversy in public policy but that legitimate consumption
of alcohol is a widespread activity in the UK, undertaken in a
moderate manner by large numbers of adults across the whole of
society. Advertising alcohol is regulated and we consider that
it is appropriate for the Premier League and its Clubs to be active
in this market provided that full regard is given to both the
spirit and letter of the relevant regulations. Although income
from alcohol-related sources is only a small proportion of total
revenues it contributes to the continuing economic success of
professional football in England. Deloitte estimate that total
revenues of the 92 professional Clubs in the Premier and
Football Leagues were over £2.5 billion in 2008-09.
This income led to a contribution to Exchequer finances of around
£860 million in that year. It is likely that with continued
growth in income and with changes in tax rates the Exchequer contribution
will reach £1 billion in 2010-11.
The economic strength of the Premier League
allows for considerable re-investment in our Clubs, contributes
to the public finances and supports substantial payments to lower
league football, sporting grassroots and to corporate responsibility
programmes. These programmes include extensive work with young
people in the areas of anti-social behaviour and health, as well
as social inclusion, anti-racism, employment, education, disability
and volunteering. For example the Premier League is working with
the Department of Health to train existing football coaches as
fully qualified Health Trainers. These Health Trainers work with
disadvantaged adults engaged in Club community activities and
direct them into the relevant health services. Using the power
of football and the Club image the coaches as trusted role models
engage with these adults in a way that mainstream services cannot.
These projects include dealing with alcohol abuse and dependence
and their related problems. Similarly the Kickz scheme, a joint
programme between football clubs and the Police to deal with anti-social
behaviour currently being delivered by 19 Premier League
Clubs, includes alcohol education and intervention initiatives.
Alcohol awareness is also an integral component of the education
programmes provided by our Clubs for scholars within their training
Academies.
It is our view that the self-regulatory codes
in the area of alcohol advertising and promotion are working well.
Proposals for change should be evidence-based and be brought forward
after proper consultation and should be proportionate to the problems
identified. We will continue to respect the relevant regulations
and to apply them effectively. We will also continue to develop
and implement social programmes dealing with alcohol-related problems
where the power of football can make a significant contribution.
28 September 2009
| 
