Stenhousemuir FC licence changes reflect club's success on the pitch
Stenhousemuir Football Club’s success on the park has led to changes to its alcohol licence, allowing the club to open more often and accommodate more fans.
The Warriors form has seen them rise from League 2 of the SPFL to the Championship, where they are currently second in the table.
Along the way, it has been attracting a growing army of fans to Ochilview and facing new challenges such as regular televised games.
Andy McPhate, premises manager and supporters’ representative on the board of Stenhousemuir FC, told members of Falkirk Council’s Licensing Board that the club’s success means they are now having to cater for a growing number of fans.
“Through hard work or luck, whatever, rather than being in League 2 of the SPFL we now find ourselves in the Championship and subsequently games can be changed at very short notice and we’re finding we need to adapt,” he said.
“The support we have has increased by moving up to the Championship so the demand for hospitality has also increased and we need to react to that.”
He said the changes requested were to “bring things up to date” and make sure that children and young people who will be supporters in the future feel welcome at the club.
The updated licence means the club’s bar can now open from 10am – 11pm on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday; Friday and Saturday, 10am until 11.59pm; and Sunday noon until 11pm.
This means it can now open for functions such as funerals without the need for an occasional licence.
The changes also mean that children can now attend functions and events, including games being shown on live TV or on the club’s YouTube stream, when accompanied by an adult.
Mr McPhate told the board: “We’re very much a community club and a family club and we want to encourage these youngsters to be part of the club moving forward.
“A lot of supporters are my age or maybe older and we need to keep that support going.”
He told members that there are currently more than 400 children and young people who are part of Stenhousemuir Foundation and “we want to keep hold of these as future supporters”.
Provost Robert Bissett, who is also the licensing board convener, said he was happy to support the application as Stenhousemuir “is a great community club”.
“Maybe you’ll get promoted next year – you never know!” he said, as members unanimously approved the application.