Alcohol and sport: A potentially unhealthy mix

Professional sporting leagues like the AFL, NRL, and A-League bring excitement and energy to people, families and communities across Australia.

Whether you’re going out to a game or gathering at home to watch on TV, it can be a fun, social time.

During these get-togethers, alcohol can be involved, and people often drink at risky levels.

Here, we talk about the impacts of drinking on fan behaviour – as well as the risks for the health, safety and wellbeing of others.

When and where is risky drinking more likely when it comes to watching sporting events?

There are some factors that can influence drinking behaviour when people watch sporting events.

For example, in one study, risky drinking was more common when games were watched:

• in the early afternoon compared to late afternoon
• at a pub or stadium, rather than in a home
• alongside friends, rather than with family.¹

How does alcohol impact fan behaviour at sporting events?

Sporting events bring large numbers of people together, building a passionate fanbase and strong team loyalty.

For example, an average of 324,000 fans attended AFL games each week in 2024, creating an engaging atmosphere for the supporters attending.²

This passion can also create tension between opposing supporters, particularly across state rivalries and high-stakes games.

Violent and aggressive behaviour happens regardless of whether alcohol is involved or not.³

But, research suggests that alcohol increases aggressive and unsocial behaviour among supporters at sporting events.^{4, 5}

Violence isn’t only physical harm. It can also include psychological harm – such as hate speech, racism and other verbal threats.

While violence at sporting events isn’t as high in Australia compared to some other countries, we shouldn’t overlook the harms of mixing alcohol with the often highly competitive and emotional space of sport.^{3, 5}

Alcohol, sport and domestic violence

There is a clear link between major sporting events and domestic violence.

Watching contact sports or matches fuelled by rivalry and emotion has been linked with increased reporting of domestic violence.⁶

Australian studies have found:

• A Victorian support service saw an influx of reported domestic violence cases in the lead up and during AFL Grand Final weeks.⁷
• In NSW and Queensland there was a significant rise in domestic violence reporting during NRL game periods, compared to Victoria where NRL is less popular. In NSW and Queensland there was also a 40% increase in domestic assaults and a 70% increase in non-domestic assaults during the NRL competition, with no increase seen in Victoria.⁸

Alcohol amplifies emotions and reactions.

It’s clear that heavy drinking during sporting events may increase verbal and physical violence to partners and family members.⁶

How does alcohol advertising during sporting games affect children?

In Australia, alcohol advertising on television isn’t allowed during children’s viewing times – but there’s an exception during sporting events, such as rugby, cricket or AFL.

This means if a child watches a sporting event between 5.00am and 8.30pm, they’ll be exposed to alcohol advertising.⁹

We know that early exposure to alcohol advertising has been linked to drinking earlier in life. ^9-11

We also know that drinking at a young age increases the risk of alcohol-related harms in the future, including alcohol dependence and other health problems.^{12, 13}

The risk may be even higher for young people who don’t have positive family and community support networks.¹¹

Exposure to alcohol advertising during sporting events could potentially increase the chance of negative health issues for young people in the future.

How can we prevent or reduce the harms of alcohol?

There are harms associated with alcohol and sport – but there are also things that can be done to address it.

Alongside larger scale approaches, such as the Alcohol and Drug Foundation’s Good Sports program, increasing people’s knowledge is an important way we can help change behaviour.

One way we can do this is by promoting the current Australian alcohol guidelines, designed to reduce the risks of drinking.

The guidelines recommend:

• no more than 10 standard drinks per week and no more than 4 standard drinks in any one day
• anyone under 18 should not drink alcohol to reduce the risk of injury and harm to the developing brain
• not drinking while pregnant, planning a pregnancy, or breastfeeding to prevent harm to the baby.¹⁴

It can be difficult to know what a standard drink actually looks like, and how different types of alcohol measure up. 

More Information

• Path2Help - Answer a few quick questions online to be matched to drug and alcohol services and info that’s right for you, or someone you care about.
• National Alcohol and Other Drug Hotline on 1800 250 015 – 24/7 free and confidential support for advice, information and counselling about alcohol and other drugs for people struggling with substance addiction
• 1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732) – National sexual assault and domestic family violence counselling service