Alcohol sales at the Crimson Tide’s Coleman Coliseum? Tuscaloosa to decide yes or no

Alcohol sales at University of Alabama basketball and gymnastics events could begin in February pending approval by the City of Tuscaloosa. 

According to the Tuscaloosa City Council February 1st agenda, Levy Premium Foodservice LP.—Alabama’s concessionaire—has submitted an application to the city council for a liquor license for the sale of alcoholic beverages at Coleman Coliseum. The Council will hold a public hearing and vote at the 6:00pm meeting to decide whether to approve or disapprove the application. 

“It’s something a lot of our fans have been asking for,” Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne told The Tuscaloosa News. “We’ve been able to watch the other schools and the reporting we have gotten back from other schools is that alcohol incidents at their games actually go down once they sell because it’s a much more controlled environment.”

SEC Lifted Ban on Alcohol Sales in 2019

The SEC lifted the ban on selling alcoholic beverages back in August of 2019. 

Here are the new rules:

• Each school in the conference can decide to sell alcohol at games in public seating areas, with sales limited to only beer and alcohol under the policy. 
• No hard liquor or mixed drinks can be sold in general seating areas. 
• Alcoholic beverages must be sold at designated locations and cannot be sold by vendors in seating areas.

The conference also set rules on when alcohol sales will stop during games. The time limits include sales stopping at the end of the third quarter during football games, at the second half 12-minute TV timeout in men’s basketball games and at the conclusion of the top of the 7th inning at baseball games.

If the measure passes, Byne indicated to the Tuscaloosa News it will take a few weeks before alcohol sales to begin at Coleman.

Are alcohol sales a good idea at Coleman Coliseum? Tell us what you think. Tag us in the comment section on social media at @Thebamabuzz