Dundee United has confirmed it will submit applications to the Dundee City Licensing Board to permit controlled alcohol sales at Tannadice during the 2026/27 season, in a move that would end a long-standing blanket ban on stadium drinking for matchgoers at the club’s home ground.
What the club is proposing
The club says it intends to make applications on a game-by-game basis and only for matches it considers suitable. Under the plans, sales would be confined to four concourse areas of the stadium: the George Fox Lower and Upper concourses, and the Eddie Thompson Stand Upper and Lower concourses. Alcohol would be available to buy and to consume only within those licensed concourse areas, and only before kick-off and during half-time. The proposals make clear that alcohol would not be permitted to be taken into the seating areas.
- Scope: Licences sought only for certain “eligible” Premiership fixtures.
- Timing: Sales limited to pre-match and half-time periods.
- Location: Four named concourse areas at Tannadice.
“only apply for licences at ‘lower-risk’ matches”
Context within Scottish football
Alcohol has been prohibited inside Scottish football stadia since 1981. In recent years, a number of clubs across Scotland have secured local permissions to trial controlled sales for specific matches or competitions. Dundee United point to the success of similar initiatives at their own games in the Premier Sports Cup and to other clubs’ successful applications when explaining their approach.
The club says each application will be judged on its own merits and will be submitted to the licensing board prior to the fixture. That model mirrors approaches adopted elsewhere in Scottish football, where licences are sought on a match-by-match basis, typically accompanied by stewarding and safety plans intended to minimise disorder and alcohol-related harm.
Local implications for supporters and the city
For supporters, the proposals would mean the opportunity to purchase alcoholic drinks at a selection of home fixtures for the forthcoming season, while still preventing alcohol in the seated areas. For the club, matchday sales could present a new revenue stream and an additional amenity for fans. Dundee United say the scheme would be confined to games judged to be lower risk, a point they underscore when describing the planned application process.
| Area | Access | When alcohol may be consumed |
|---|---|---|
| George Fox Lower Concourse | Designated licensed zone | Before kick-off and half-time |
| George Fox Upper Concourse | Designated licensed zone | Before kick-off and half-time |
| Eddie Thompson Stand Lower Concourse | Designated licensed zone | Before kick-off and half-time |
| Eddie Thompson Stand Upper Concourse | Designated licensed zone | Before kick-off and half-time |
The proposals arrive weeks after Dundee FC lodged its own application to sell alcohol at Dens Park, signalling that the debate over alcohol at Scottish grounds has moved into the city’s two main clubs. Any change at Tannadice would therefore be part of a wider local conversation about matchday experience, supporter behaviour and policing.
Licensing decisions will be made by Dundee City Licensing Board, which considers public safety and public nuisance alongside licensing objectives. Each application is likely to be accompanied by detail on stewarding, segregation and any additional measures the club will take to prevent alcohol-related incidents.
Supporters and local residents who wish to comment on the proposals will have opportunities to do so through the established licensing consultation processes once applications are formally lodged. The club has emphasised it will continue to apply only where it considers matches to be appropriate and where safeguards can be put in place.
Any approval for sales would be limited strictly to the approved concourse zones and times, and the longstanding national ban on alcohol inside seated areas would remain in force under the club’s plans.
