With UEFA EURO 2020™ kicking-off on today (Friday 11 June), the Scottish Beer & Pub Association (SBPA) has produced practical guidance for pubs to help ensure screenings are a success and customers and staff are kept safe during the tournament.
The new guidance has been developed alongside the Scottish Government, Police Scotland, Scottish Hospitality Group (SHG), Scottish Licensed Trade Association (SLTA), Scottish Alcohol Industry Partnership (SAIP), UK-Hospitality and local authority regulators.
Live sport is a hugely important part of the pub experience and UEFA EURO 2020™ is a major opportunity to attract customers who want to watch live matches in the great atmosphere of the pub once more. Particularly as it will be the first major sporting tournament aired in pubs since their reopening and the first involving Scotland for over two decades.
The guidance aims to help pubs, other licensed venues, licensing authorities and the police all work together to ensure a safe environment for both customers and staff, whilst enabling people to enjoy the much-missed freedom of visiting the pub to watch the football once more.
It provides a simple bullet point list for publicans to run through and make sure all aspects are considered and any appropriate steps taken for successful screenings, whether that is indoors or outdoors.
The guidance also notes the extra safety measures required due to Coronavirus and in particular the Scottish Government guidance for hospitality premises.
Emma McClarkin, Chief Executive of the Scottish Beer & Pub Association, said:
“Pubs are the home of live sport, and we cannot wait for the Euros and watching together a major tournament in the pub once more. This tournament will of course be all the more special with Scotland taking part and games being played at Hampden.
“This new guidance we have created with fellow trade bodies, government and the police will help pubs have a successful Euros, providing best practice advise alongside the current coronavirus guidelines.
“It is important people can enjoy the much-missed freedom of watching the football at the pub but this guidance will help ensure everyone’s safety both in terms of COVID-19 but also any suspicious or antisocial behaviour.”
Tourism Minister Ivan McKee said:
“We want everyone to enjoy the tournament safely and it’s really important we all play our part by observing the guidance when watching the matches – whether that is in a pub, at home or another setting.
“We’ve worked closely with the Scottish Beer and Pub Association and other key stakeholders to create additional guidance for venues looking to show the Euros and I encourage everyone to familiarise themselves with it. We remain in a precarious position in the pandemic and we don’t want to undermine the hard work and sacrifices that have been made to get us to this point.”
Commenting, SLTA Managing Director Colin Wilkinson said:
“For the first time in a generation Scotland are in a major football tournament and of course our pubs and bars are eager to welcome customers in to watch and celebrate the spectacle.
“Our pubs and bars provide the best environment for supporters and others to enjoy the event in a safe manner in the hands of experienced professionals who will ensure a memorable visit for a memorable occasion.
“This essential guidance will greatly help the industry overcome some of the confusions around what is allowed and what isn’t and allow us all to comply with the Governments COVID guidelines.”
Commenting, SHG spokesperson Stephen Montgomery said:
“As everyone is gearing up for the Euros, we will be looking forward to welcoming customers into the safe and friendly environment of our pubs, bars and restaurants.
“We know that our bar owners and staff are all professionals in what they do, and this guidance will go a long way to helping operators comply with the Scottish Government guidelines, and in turn help customers enjoy what we hope will be a fantastic month of football for everyone.”
Leon Thompson, Executive Director at UKHospitality Scotland added:
“The Euros will provide a welcome boost to pubs and bars showing the matches.
“People will be keen to get behind their team for this milestone sporting event, and this guidance will help ensure that they can enjoy all the action with friends and family safely, in their favourite venues.”
