In this week's column, Poppleston Allen partner Jonathan Smith answers licensee's questions and shares his top tips ahead of the tournament to help operators prepare for the Euros.
Kicking off on Friday 14 June in Munich, the football competition will run until Sunday 14 July, with host nation Germany set to play Scotland on the first day of the games while England’s first match will take place two days later, on 16 June, against Serbia.
The semi-finals are then set to take place on Tuesday 9 July and Wednesday 10 July while the final is scheduled for Sunday 14 July.
Do I need permission to show live football on my Premises Licence?
You do not need any permission on your premises licence to do so since it is the simultaneous broadcast of a programme as opposed to it being recorded. You just need to make sure you have the appropriate television licences and permissions from the relevant broadcasters.
Can I show the games in my beer garden?
There is nothing to stop you showing the games in your beer garden, provided there are no conditions on your Premises Licence preventing it. If you are looking at putting a big screen up however, do be conscious that depending upon the size of the screen and length of time the screen is going to remain there as there may be planning issues.
Can I sell alcohol from a temporary bar in the beer garden?
If your beer garden is licensed for the sale of alcohol, then yes you will be able to dispense alcohol from a temporary bar, but do make sure it isn’t blocking any fire exists or otherwise hindering people getting in and out of the beer garden in the event of an emergency.
If your beer garden is not licensed for the sale of alcohol then you would need to issue a Temporary Event Notice to dispense alcohol in the beer garden.
Do I need to employ door staff and use plastic glasses during the showing of any matches during the Euros?
Have a look at your Premises Licence to check there are no conditions which are an absolute requirement to provide door staff or polycarbonate glassware / plastic bottles. There are some Premises Licences which do require the use of door staff or the use of polycarbonate glassware / plastic bottles during the showing of international sporting events.
If there is no such absolute requirement then it is sensible to conduct your own risk assessment to establish whether or not you should use door staff and, indeed, how many, and whether you should use polycarbonate glassware and plastic bottles.
Make sure any risk assessment is documented and kept on site to show the Police that you have thought about these issues, and taken any appropriate steps to address the risks identified within the risk assessment.
Do I need to extend my hours for the showing of any of the games?
With the games being in Germany and, therefore, being shown at a sociable hour in the United Kingdom, then it is very unlikely that you are going to need any extension to the hours for your Premises Licence.
Should England or Scotland be fortunate enough to reach the semi-finals (or even beyond!) then the Government has introduced legislation so that pubs in England and Wales can open until 1am the following morning for the sale of alcohol and food after the game. In Scotland any extensions for pubs will be down to individual Boards.
It’s important to note that this legislation only applies to premises already authorised for alcohol sales until at least 23:00, so if for example your licence only permits the sale of alcohol until 22:30 you will not benefit and will instead have to issue a Temporary Events Notice. This is particularly relevant for the final, which takes place on a Sunday, a day when traditionally many pubs’ terminal hour for alcohol sales is earlier than 11pm. Indeed, the standard hours for Sunday in some London boroughs are 22:30; many pubs outside London also have earlier than 23:00.
The crucial thing is to check your licence and issue a Temporary Events Notice where required.
Should you want to stay open any later for the quarter finals, or for the stages before the quarter finals, then you would need to issue a Temporary Event Notice to do so.
- Jonathan Smith is a partner at Poppleston Allen
