Can’t get a ticket to the Euros? Your local pub may be the next best thing says Phil Mellows
Pub trade magazine the Morning Advertiser made a brilliant Freudian slip last week, describing the Euros as a “footfall tournament”. For pubs, of course, the big set-piece football events really are about footfall – getting more people through their doors.
Research by hospitality insight specialist the Oxford Partnership showed that beer sales in English pubs over the first weekend of the competition, when England played Serbia, fortuitously on Father’s Day, soared by 20 percent compared to the same period last year.
At a time when pubs are generally struggling, that can be a vital boost, and few will resist the temptation to show games, even if they’re not usually considered to be ‘sports bars’. And although the tournament is on terrestrial telly, a lot of fans will still choose to leave their settees and go down the local to watch it because, for atmosphere, pubs are often second only to being at the ground.
Newham has its traditional footie pubs, like Stratford’s Carpenters Arms and the Railway Tavern. And you also have a choice of modern sports bars, such as the Sportsman and the Abbey Tap, both also in Stratford.
The difference is the number of HD screens and the potential to book a seat for the big game so you don’t miss a minute of the action. While beer is the favourite accompaniment to football, these places are big on other drinks, especially cocktails, and they have food menus with the kind of dishes that go with the sociable side of the game – burgers and sharing plates.
Bigger matches will attract those who don’t normally consider themselves football fans. They go to support England. Or Scotland. Or, indeed, whatever the country of their birth might be. The Euros can be a big international get-together.
But by the middle of July it’ll all be over. Pubs that don’t fully specialise in sport may once again be relying on the weather to bring people out – and that’s even harder to be sure of than England’s performance. So don’t forget your local – pubs are not just for the Euros.
No news is bad news
Independent news outlets like ours – reporting for the community without rich backers – are under threat of closure, turning British towns into news deserts.
The audiences they serve know less, understand less, and can do less.
If our coverage has helped you understand our community a little bit better, please consider supporting us with a monthly, yearly or one-off donation.
Choose the news. Don’t lose the news.
Monthly direct debit
Annual direct debit
£5 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else, £10 per month supporters get a digital copy of each month’s paper before anyone else and a print copy posted to them each month. £50 annual supporters get a digital copy of each month's paper before anyone else.
Enjoying Newham Voices? You can help support our not-for-profit newspaper and website from £5 per month.