England fans can take advantage of 5am late pub licences to watch their heroes in action against Mexico in the World Cup. Photograph: Philip Toscano/PAEngland fans can take advantage of 5am late pub licences to watch their heroes in action against Mexico in the World Cup. Photograph: Philip Toscano/PAPull an all-nighter? How parents, schools, fans and police plan to cope with England’s 1am kick-off Popular national pastimes of drinking and football will make post-Mexico Monday a day of sore heads and sleepy children
England are through to the round of 16 in the World Cup and, as is customary in the run-up to a major international footballing fixture, the country may be losing its mind.
Because piled on top of the 60 years of hurt for the men’s team, England fans have another obstacle to overcome with the forthcoming fixture: a gruelling kick-off time of 1am BST.
At the earliest, the final whistle might be blown at about 3am. But we could be looking at a 4am finish if the match goes to extra time and – as is often the case with England – penalties.
Should we let the kids stay up? Where will we watch it? When’s time at the bar? When should we start drinking? When should we stop drinking? Here we take a look at the potential impact of the 1am fixture.
Schools
The row over what kids should and shouldn’t be allowed to do for the 1am fixture blew up within moments of England’s win against DR Congo, when their manager, Thomas Tuchel, urged parents to let their children bunk off school for the Mexico match.
“Write an excuse for school and let them watch football,” he said. “They have so much school to go to, but the World Cup is every four years.”
I don’t know if Mr Tuchel has ever screamed “put your bloody shoes on” at a 10-year-old for the 18th time at 8.30am while a seven-year-old refuses to clean his teeth because he doesn’t like the taste of the toothpaste – and all this after a “good night’s sleep” – but (ahem) a friend of mine has …
Parents’ WhatsApp groups are now ablaze with strategies for the fixture. Bed at normal time, wake them at 1am and put them back to bed at 3am when they’re full of the adrenaline surge of a win or hamstrung by the serotonin plunge of a loss? Pump them full of Haribo, stick matchsticks in their eyelids, keep them up until the final whistle and risk tsunami-scale tantrums the next day? Or get a full night’s sleep, avoid the score if you can and stick a replay on before they leave for school – but miss the magic of the live moment? It’s an impossible first-world problem. Won’t someone think of the children?
For their part, ministers have been suitably vague. “It’s a late game, but children can be in school the next day,” said the education secretary, Bridget Phillipson. Sounds as if Phillipson thinks the kids can have their cake and eat it. At 3am.
Some schools have told parents their children are welcome to arrive a little later, while others have decided to screen a replay of the match within the school at 7am. But as it stands, it is at headteachers’ discretion.
England fans in Perranporth, Cornwall, celebrate Harry Kane’s winner against DR Congo on Wednesday night. Photograph: Hugh R Hastings/Getty ImagesPubs
There were absolute scenes in England earlier on Thursday as fans of the country’s two most popular pastimes – football, and numbing the pain of football through drinking – realised the licensing laws allowed them to get smashed only until 2am before the pubs turned off the pumps and sent them staggering home.
How are we going to endure this nocturnal fixture without the prospect of chugging down a celebratory or commiseratory pint at 3am? At first, ministers were unsure. They resisted. They would hold their ground by allowing the pubs to open only until 2am.
But then they reconsidered. We’ve been training for this moment for decades. Years of knocking back gin and tonic at airports in the small hours as we wait for our budget airline flights to Greek or Spanish islands has stiffened our resolve. We could handle a few more hours of boozing through to Monday. And think of the boost to the economy – the payment data company Ayden said transaction volumes during the England v DR Congo match increased by 184% compared with a non-matchday.
So Keir Starmer came through, a final thank you to the British people for being so supportive over the past two years. The pubs can open until 5am, he declared. Fill yer boots. “Mexican Rave”, championed the front page of the Mirror. “England’s Big All-Nighter”, cheered the Daily Mail. “Tequila Sunrise”, hailed the Sun. These were the best headlines the prime minister ever had.
Police
But will the vibes last? Breaking news: football and excessive drinking can end badly. The police are already on tenterhooks. It’s not as if 2am patrols in England’s city centres reveal the best of the country.
So with the bars open until 5am, officers are bracing themselves. The National Police Chiefs’ Council was highly critical of the timing of the decision to let pubs stay open. Mark Roberts, the council’s lead for football policing, and Scott Green, the lead for alcohol licensing and harm reduction, do not want to be buzzkills but have a job to do – and Starmer has made it harder.
“The likely route for England progression has been known for a considerable time, yet this late announcement leaves policing having to adapt our plans, seeing officers working extended shifts which in turn takes them away from communities,” they said in joint statement.
“From a policing perspective, our priority is to support people to enjoy the match safely and responsibly. We therefore ask those watching the game to be considerate: drink within sensible limits, and behave in a way that keeps you, your friends, staff, officers and the wider public safe.”
Police chiefs have asked football fans to ‘enjoy the match safely and sensibly’. Photograph: Scott Heppell/APTransport
Likewise, there are concerns about the roads, with breakdown services fearing for thousands of fans trying to drive home slapping their faces with the windows down and the radio blasting Sweet Caroline.
The AA released data that shows up to one in four fatal and serious road collisions could be fatigue-related. They said studies had shown that a driver who had been awake for 24 hours could suffer impairment equivalent to a blood alcohol concentration of about 0.1% – above the legal limit.
The motoring group said it was a myth that opening a window or turning up the radio kept a motorist awake: “These are only temporary distractions and do not combat tiredness. If drivers begin yawning repeatedly, struggle to focus or drift within their lane, they should stop as soon as it is safe to do so.”
So what can be done to improve safety behind the wheel after the match? The AA said to stop driving at the first sign of tiredness, park up, drink two cups of coffee or another caffeinated drink and take a 15- to 20-minute nap before continuing the journey.
Tim Rankin, the managing director of AA Accident Assist, added: “If supporters are staying up until nearly 3am to watch the game, or even 4am if the match goes to extra time and penalties, they need to think carefully about how they’ll get through Monday morning safely. Drowsy driving is an underestimated risk on our roads. Just like drink-driving, tiredness affects your reactions, judgment and concentration, yet many people still underestimate how dangerous it can be.”
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