By Cortney Winston
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The 2019 football season is kicking off Saturday, and fans attending the game will now be able to purchase beer and wine at Donald W. Reynolds Stadium. The SEC lifted the ban on selling alcoholic beverages in public areas this summer, and Arkansas is one of the schools that is taking advantage of the change. Previously, beer and wine were sold only in the private and club areas of the stadium.
Kevin Trainor, the senior associate athletic director for public relations said this is a way for fans to take advantage of the new additions. “I think this a more of a situation where it was seen as an opportunity to add an amenity to fans who want to take advantage of that. Certainly, that’s not every fan, but just as you go to the movie theater and have the option to have a beverage, this is really just expanding that to all fans in the stadium,” Trainor said.
Students over 21 are allowed to buy beverages, but no alcohol will be admitted in the student section or sold in the immediate area. There will be a designated location on the south end zone deck for age appropriate students wanting to enjoy a drink. Along with identification checks with every purchase, there is a two-drink limit per person for each transaction. At the end of the third quarter of every game, the sales of alcohol will stop. A percentage of the alcohol sales will go to the University’s Student Affairs program to further educate students on issues related to alcohol.
No decision has been made about selling alcohol in Bud Walton Arena, Baum-Walker Stadium or any other on-campus athletic venue at this time.