Football fans heading to Hampden Park for Scotland matches will now be able to buy alcohol inside the stadium, in a major shift from the long-standing rules that have kept booze off the terraces for decades.
Scotland supporters have been used to a dry matchday experience inside grounds, with strict laws banning alcohol sales at Scottish football fixtures since the 1980s. The legislation came in following a series of disorder incidents, most famously the 1980 Scottish Cup Final riot between Celtic and Rangers fans, which shocked the country and prompted a swift crackdown.
But times are changing. Trial alcohol sales have already been taking place at Hampden, testing the waters before any wider rollout. Those trials appear to have gone well enough to push things forward, with the decision now made to allow booze to be sold at Scotland national team games at the national stadium.
It marks a significant moment for Scottish football, which has operated under some of the toughest alcohol restrictions in European sport. Fans travelling from abroad to watch international fixtures have often been surprised to find they cannot grab a beer while watching the game, something that is completely normal in most other countries.
The change applies specifically to Scotland international matches at Hampden rather than being a blanket lifting of the ban across all Scottish football. Club games in the top flight and lower leagues are not affected by this development, so fans at Premiership grounds on a Saturday afternoon will not be seeing bar queues open up anytime soon.
Proponents of the change have argued for years that treating fans like responsible adults would actually improve the matchday atmosphere rather than cause problems. Many supporters point to the experience at rugby internationals at Murrayfield, where alcohol has been available inside the ground without major issues for a long time. The argument goes that if rugby fans can handle a pint in the stands, there is no good reason football fans cannot do the same.
There is also a financial angle to consider. Allowing alcohol sales inside Hampden gives the Scottish FA an additional revenue stream on matchdays, with stadium concessions able to generate serious money when tens of thousands of fans are in attendance. For an organisation always looking to invest in the game at every level, that extra income is not something to be dismissed lightly.
Critics of the move will no doubt raise concerns about disorder and the potential for trouble if alcohol becomes more freely available at football matches. The original ban was brought in for real reasons, and there are those who feel the culture around some football fixtures still makes alcohol a risk factor worth taking seriously.
However, supporters groups have largely welcomed the news, with many fans feeling the blanket ban has always been an outdated and patronising policy that punished the vast majority for the behaviour of a small minority. Scottish football has changed enormously since the 1980s, and the argument that the same rules should apply today as they did forty years ago has always been a hard one to sustain.
The national team has enjoyed a real surge in popularity and atmosphere in recent years, with Hampden regularly packed and loud for big qualifying campaigns. The hope is that a more relaxed matchday environment, including the option to have a drink inside the ground, will add to that positive experience rather than detract from it.
How this plays out in practice will be watched closely by clubs, governing bodies and politicians alike. If international matches at Hampden pass off without incident, the pressure to extend similar rules to club football will only grow louder.
About time honestly. Standing there freezing in November with nothing but a lukewarm Bovril was never exactly ideal. Just hope they manage the queues properly or half the ground will miss the second half fannying about waiting to get served.