No alcohol will be allowed in the student section, and sales will halt at the end of the third quartergetty images
Fans in nearly all areas of Arkansas' Razorback Stadium will be "able to buy beer and wine at football games this fall," a plan that "comes five years after alcoholic beverages were first sold in the stadium's indoor 'club' areas," according to Jaime Adame of the NORTHWEST ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE. No alcohol will be "allowed in the student seating section, and sales will halt at the end of the third quarter." Arkansas announced its plans while "approval from the state Alcoholic Beverage Control Division is still pending." The approval process "involves the university's concessions provider, Levy." Arkansas AD Hunter Yurachek said that "no decision has been made on having similar expanded sales of beer and wine in UA's Bud Walton Arena or Baum-Walker Stadium." Arkansas Senior Associate AD/PR Kevin Trainor said that beer and wine "were sold at Bud Walton in private 'club' areas during basketball games beginning last fall and in private areas of Baum-Walker Stadium during baseball games beginning this spring." Trainor "declined to estimate the revenue boost for UA with expanded beer and wine offerings, but suggested that the matter is about more than cups sold." Yurachek said that the drinking sales stations "will be separate from general concession stands" (NORTHWEST ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE, 8/2). Alcoholic beverages will "only be sold and dispensed at designated locations," and a "limit of two servings per person will be allowed in each transaction." Beer and wine will "not be allowed in the Arkansas student section and kiosks will not be located in the section's immediate proximity" (WHOLEHOGSPORTS.com, 8/1).
KENTUCKY TO SIT IT OUT: In Lexington, Josh Moore reports Kentucky will "not expand alcohol sales at its sporting events this upcoming school year, and perhaps won't for the foreseeable future." While alcohol will not be sold "to the general public at its events" during the '19-20 school year, sales will "continue to be allowed in specially designated areas such as suites at some events." UK joins Alabama, Auburn, Georgia and South Carolina as SEC schools that will "not sell alcohol to the general public" this football season; Arkansas, LSU and Texas A&M have announced such plans. UK AD Mitch Barnhart said that the school will "monitor how public alcohol sales affect the fan experience at schools in the conference that have decided to sell, but that he doesn't necessarily want to be re-visiting this issue every school year" (LEXINGTON HERALD-LEADER, 8/2).
