With the Euros kicking off next week, pub landlords across the region are gearing up for what they hope will be a busy summer.
In preparation for the tournament, they have been installing flat screen TVs, sound systems and beer garden grandstands in a bid to make their pubs the place to watch the Three Lions.
But the cost-of-living crisis and changing drinking habits mean 83pc of Brits plan to watch the Euros at home to save money - with more than a quarter of fans saying they will reduce their spending at pubs compared to previous summers, in a survey by Lowestoft-based sports manufacturer Harrod Sport, which is supplying goals, posts and nets for the tournament.
Landlords have seen a decline in trade since the pandemic, with 1,293 pubs closing in the UK last year, according to a report by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA).
This meant 64 million fewer pints of beer were sold in 2023, coming at a cost of more than £103m to local economies and a loss of over 19,200 potential jobs.
“During the last 20 years the UK has lost more than 20pc of its pub stock, so if people don’t use their pubs they are going to disappear, which will be an absolute disaster for the culture of the country,” Phil Cutter, landlord of The Murderers pub in Norwich, said.
“When these big tournaments come along they absolutely make our summer. It’s a massive boost for our summer trade.
"Obviously it’s on free-to-air TV so anyone can sit at home and watch it, but people still want to watch it with the special atmosphere that pubs create which can’t be replicated.
“No good story ever starts with ‘I was sitting at home’ – they all start with ‘I was down the pub with my mates when…’”
Paul Sandford, landlord of The Railway Tavern in Dereham, has created one of the best atmospheres for England fans in recent years.
This summer the pub will have a 550-seater grandstand in its beer garden and two giant 10-foot TV screens.
“We’ll have 25 screens so there won’t be anyone who can’t see a telly – we’ve even got them in the toilets,” Mr Sandford said.
“The atmosphere was electric in the stand last time. I’ve been selling tickets for the last six months and the first game is set to be a sell-out. You’re not going to get that in your front room.
“It’s all about the fan experience. There’s nothing like being at the pub to watch a game of football with that kind of atmosphere.
"With how things are at the moment with the cost of living it’s more important than ever before."
The Coach and Horses, in Thorpe Road, Norwich, installed two new 85-inch TVs in its marquee earlier this week.
Cameron Dallas, the pub’s manager, said: “There’s something culturally ingrained in people in this country to go to the pub and watch football and I don’t think that’s ever going to change.
“Drinking habits are changing, though, especially with the younger generation. People are going out less because of the cost-of-living crisis.
“As long as pubs create a good enough environment they’ll always get enough people in for the big tournaments.
“Everyone’s able to watch on terrestrial TV at home so obviously it’s harder to draw people into pubs, but events like the Euros are all about the atmosphere and the social aspect when watching the football.”
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