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Florida Gators’ fans may soon buy alcohol at games

By Matthew Clark

GLENDALE, AZ - JANUARY 10: Fans walk by the alcohol collection table before the Tostitos BCS National Championship Game between the Oregon Ducks and the Auburn Tigers at University of Phoenix Stadium on January 10, 2011 in Glendale, Arizona. The Southeastern Conference recently approved a rule change allowing member schools to sell alcohol at athletic events. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ - JANUARY 10: Fans walk by the alcohol collection table before the Tostitos BCS National Championship Game between the Oregon Ducks and the Auburn Tigers at University of Phoenix Stadium on January 10, 2011 in Glendale, Arizona. The Southeastern Conference recently approved a rule change allowing member schools to sell alcohol at athletic events. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
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The Southeastern Conference has voted to allow member schools to serve alcohol at athletic events. This includes Florida Gators’ events.

As part of its 2019 Spring Meetings, the Southeastern Conference has voted to change its policies regarding the sale of alcohol at athletic events. Beer could be flowing at Florida Gators’ sporting events.

Now, schools are allowed to serve and distribute alcoholic beverages at athletic events, if they choose to. The conference said Friday that “each institution has the autonomy to decide the permissibility of alcohol sales to the general public and to designate the locations where alcoholic beverages may be available.

"“Our policy governing alcohol sales has been a source of considerable discussion and respectful debate among our member universities in recent years,” said SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey, in a statement. “As a Conference, we have been observant of trends in the sale and consumption of alcohol at collegiate sporting events and have drawn upon the experiences and insights of our member schools which have responsibly established limited alcohol sales within controlled spaces and premium seating areas.  We remain the only conference to set forth league-wide standards for the responsible management of the sale of alcoholic beverages.”"

As part of the rule change, only beer and wine can be sold to those in the public seating areas of an event and each school will have to “implement a server training program for staff” if it chooses to allow alcohol sales at events.

This means the Florida Gators could implement alcohol sales beginning with the 2019 football season.

The policy change does not impact suites, clubs or private areas – places where the conference already permits the sale of alcohol.

The new policy also includes designated stop times for the sale of alcohol at specific events:

  • Football (end of the 3rd quarter);
  • Basketball (Men’s—Second half 12-minute TV timeout; Women’s—End of the 3rd quarter);
  • Baseball (end of the top of the 7th inning);
  • Softball (end of the top of the 5th inning); and
  • Other Sports (At a designated time, no later than when 75% of the event’s regulation length competition is scheduled to be completed).

The conference will not allow schools to display advertising mentioning or promoting alcoholic beverages unless it is point-of-sale signage.

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The University of Florida did not comment on the policy change, although faculty athletics representative Michael Sagas was a member of the conference working group who advanced the change in policy to the conference’s presidents and chancellors.

The Gators open the 2019 football season at 7 p.m., Aug. 24 against Miami in the 2019 Camping World Kickoff in Orlando.

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