Managing the madding crowd

The eyes of the rugby-loving world will be on New Zealand this spring as we host the 2011 Rugby World Cup, but while moderate drinking may be part of the event for many, agencies and sports leaders alike have serious concerns for those who will drink to excess and potentially become aggressive, obnoxious, violent and dangerously disoriented. Keri Welham asks how do you control a booze-fuelled sports crowd and what is being done to ensure this party doesn’t turn ugly?

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In the build-up to this year’s Rugby World Cup, there’s been a lot of focus on the planned entertainment hub dubbed Party Central, drinking vessels at stadia and fast-tracked liquor licences.

In fact, at times, there’s appeared to be more concern about setting the scene for maximising entertainment income than any other aspect of the event. Which begs the question: are many New Zealanders viewing this display of top-flight rugby union as just an excuse for a gargantuan national piss-up? And if so, what harm might be done along the way?

The reputational damage that can be delivered by alcohol-fuelled spectators at major sporting events was made obvious when the Kangaroos met the Kiwis at Eden Park in November last year. The Four Nations rugby league international, won by Australia 34–20, was widely seen as a test of the venue ahead of this year’s Rugby World Cup (RWC).

There were six arrests from the crowd of 44,500, and video footage shows some of the hundreds of plastic bottles that were thrown onto the pitch. Kiwi fans booed during the Australian national anthem, families were abused, and fighting that began inside the stadium continued outside. Residents complained about loud, drunken fans who smoked pot outside their homes, a liquor ban outside the stadium was completely ignored, and traffic was mayhem.

Prime Minister John Key said at the time the drunken bedlam on display at the league test was “not how we want to showcase the country when we host the third biggest sporting event in the world.”

RWC organisers responded with promises to beef up security and the Police presence at this year’s tournament.

But it wasn’t the first time Kiwi crowds had gone feral on the international stage. In 2003, security was increased at the Wellington Rugby Union Sevens tournament after drunken fans pelted the visiting Australian team with bottles. Media reports from the time show 20 people were arrested and 35 were ejected.

And then there was the Bledisloe Cup match in Melbourne last July. New Zealand Cricket Chief Executive Justin Vaughan wrote about the All Blacks test against the Wallabies in a comment piece that garnered extensive publicity. He says the experience was marred by loutish behaviour from Kiwi fans who used foul language to bait Australian spectators and whose alcohol-fed antics created, in his words, “a tense and unfriendly atmosphere”.

“I was frankly embarrassed to be a New Zealander at the ground on Saturday night, surrounded as I was by a good number of drunk, aggressive and obnoxious All Blacks supporters.”

The All Blacks won that clash, 49–28. If that’s how Kiwi fans celebrate, how do they commiserate?

Last year, then Police Commissioner Howard Broad told reporters, “The potential and scarcely foreseen possibility that the All Blacks will lose has entered into our risk management.” Police revealed they had done extensive research into the effects of test matches on crime rates.

The Dominion Post reported that, after a Scottish Cup football final between Glasgow clubs Celtic and Rangers, there was an 80 percent spike in reports of domestic violence. While New Zealand Police had not seen such pronounced increases here, they had noted a small increase in disorderly behaviour and violent offending in the host city after a test match.

Women’s Refuge reported it had been working alongside Police to address the potentially negative impact the World Cup could have on domestic violence.

Spokeswoman Kiri Hannifin told The Dominion Post, “So if the All Blacks, dare I say it, lose next year, those people who have a tendency to be violent, this may give them an excuse to be more violent or to be violent again.”

She says alcohol, the RWC and an All Blacks loss could bode very badly for some families affected by violence.

It could also be a bad combination for those who work in emergency services.

Wellington Regional Hospital Emergency Medicine Specialist and Clinical Toxicologist Paul Quigley says the country’s accident and emergency units are braced for an RWC deluge.

He says rugby test matches result in higher presentations at accident and emergency.

“We always get a significant surge in numbers, often doubling our night presentations [between 10pm and 8am].

“This has a negative impact on our ‘normal’ patients who present at the same time. Also, we have increased presentations over the subsequent 48 hours with minor injuries.”

Quigley has been unimpressed by the government’s efforts to manage the additional burden of the RWC for health professionals. He says plans for soberup units and field hospitals were first developed in October 2010, but the combination of the recession and February’s Christchurch earthquake put an end to nationwide planning, and each region is now developing its own approach.

“Here in the Wellington district, we are going to be better off than some as we have some initial plans and have even rehearsed some of them during the Sevens competition.”

Quigley says he’d like to see an appropriate portion of the projected half-billion-dollar windfall from the RWC funnelled into the health services, which will be stretched to cope with the fallout of the event.

New Zealand has only won the World Cup once, on home soil at the inaugural tournament in 1987, and every other year has represented various levels of disappointment for fans.

Rugby New Zealand 2011 boss Martin Snedden has previously admitted concerns about what might happen if New Zealand fails to win the 38cm tall, gilded silver Webb Ellis Cup again this year.

“There is always a risk that the All Blacks will not meet our very high expectations next year. If they don’t, our sense of sportsmanship will be tested to the hilt. If that happens, how will we react?”

Snedden was unavailable to comment. However, his Media Manager Mike Jaspers referred Matters of Substance to an opinion piece that ran in The New Zealand Herald in November 2010.

In it, Snedden acknowledges that the furore at Eden Park for the league match was a problem for Rugby New Zealand 2011.

“Running something as major as [this] year’s event is just as much a confidence game as it is about getting things dead right operationally. Eden Park… is our most crucial venue,” he writes.

Snedden says crowd control has been an issue “high on our radar” for some time.

He says organisations including Police, the Alcohol Advisory Council and district licensing authorities have been involved in developing an alcohol management plan across all match venues.

Each venue must apply for a customised RWC 2011 liquor licence. The licences insist on measures such as increased numbers and visibility of security staff and Police, increased monitoring of patron behaviour by trained staff, free water and a range of food and low-alcohol and non-alcoholic drinks available for purchase.

In September 2010, RWC Minister Murray McCully was given controversial powers to fast-track liquor licences and hospitality arrangements for the RWC.

McCully can over-ride the decisions of the Rugby World Cup Authority, which was set up to oversee applications relating to the tournament in a much shorter timeframe than is normally needed for consents.

While McCully must take in to account the recommendations of the Authority and the views of fellow ministers, his decision is final.

He also controversially decided to allow beer in cans at RWC stadia, against the wishes of Police and his colleague, Police Minister Judith Collins. Police were worried cans would be used as missiles.

McCully told Radio New Zealand it would have cost a significant amount of money to install wet-pour bars in the nine stadia that did not have them. The estimate for Eden Park alone was $1 million.

The New Zealand Drug Foundation lodged an Official Information Act request regarding all correspondence about the beer in cans issue with Minister McCully’s office.

The information received includes a March 2010 letter from Broad, then Police Commissioner, outlining the agreed measures for selling alcohol at stadia:

• Vessels will be 330ml cans of beer, opened at point of sale, and PET bottles of wine. (Other documents show Police wanted 270ml of beer, served in plastic cups.)
• Each person will be served no more than four drinks at once. Police can bring this limit lower if they assess high levels of intoxication at an event. (Police wanted no more than two drinks at once.)
• Beer served will be 5 percent alcohol. Lower strength beer will be available at a cheaper price.
• Only beer and wine will be on sale at public bars in stadia, including lounge areas.
• Bars may open for up to 2 hours before a game.

At fan zones, such as the venue Prime Minister John Key dubbed Party Central on Auckland’s Queen’s Wharf, wine and beer will be served in plastic cups.

DB Breweries General Manager of Corporate Affairs Mark Campbell is heavily involved in the day-to-day project management of Heineken’s sponsorship of the 2011 Rugby World Cup. DB is a subsidiary of Asia Pacific Breweries, of which Heineken is a major shareholder. Heineken has been associated with the RWC since 1995.

An email written by Campbell to Minister McCully’s office on 4 February 2010, states: “My objective is to get consensus (Police) on having Heineken cans at all 13 stadia for the Rugby World Cup. Currently, nine of the 13 stadia sell cans.”

In a presentation Campbell used for various audiences, including Police, he said, “Having cans at all stadia would create a consistent, premium experience nationwide.”

He also argued cans were environmentally preferable to plastic, were easier to store and offered a longer shelf life for the product.

Campbell told Matters of Substance that DB did not exert any pressure on McCully to ensure beer would be served in the cans emblazoned with the sponsor’s name and branding.

“DB most certainly did not ‘apply pressure’, as you suggest, to the government. Rugby New Zealand 2011 is asking the caterers to depressurise cans sold in stadia and pour beer into disposable cups before fans return to their seats. We are currently working with the caterers to ensure they have sufficient plastic cups to achieve this.”

Campbell says DB’s preferred scenario would have been wet-pour areas, but unfortunately, this technology was not included in the upgrade of stadia such as Eden Park.

“We are realistic that some people may drink excessively over this period. However, our consumers are adults, capable of making their own decisions about the way they behave and consume alcohol.

“We acknowledge we have a role to play in minimising the abuse of alcohol, particularly during Rugby World Cup 2011,” Campbell says.

“Ultimately, we want rugby fans to have an enjoyable and memorable experience throughout Rugby World Cup 2011, which is why we are working closely with a wide range of stakeholders to ensure this end, including government, Police, local authorities and caterers.”

These are the same parties that have been involved in developing Rugby New Zealand 2011’s alcohol management plan. Under the plan, Heineken (at 5 percent alcohol) will be the only full-strength beer offered in stadia, alongside Heineken’s own light beer, Amstel Light, which is 2.5 percent alcohol. Campbell says details are yet to be confirmed, but DB would like, and fully expects, the Amstel Light cans to be sold more cheaply than the Heineken cans. And he insists Amstel Light will be available at every venue.

“We will ensure that there is Amstel Light available everywhere, all of the time. It just makes good sense.”

DB is anticipating Amstel Light will make up less than 10 percent of sales at the venues, but as so many of the spectators will be overseas visitors, Campbell says it is difficult to predict consumption.

He says the decision to offer cans in stadia was a collective one made by parties involved in the development of the alcohol management plan.

When asked about DB’s efforts to minimise the negative consequences of excessive alcohol consumption during the tournament, Campbell says, “Heineken New Zealand and Heineken International will be activating a local ‘Enjoy Heineken Responsibly’ campaign, which will be highly visible from September.”

He says DB firmly believes there is a place for alcohol sponsorship of sport.

“A ban on alcohol sports sponsorship would have dire consequences for clubs and sports teams around New Zealand, from minor competitions to international events such as Rugby World Cup 2011. Heineken has proven time and time again that it can sponsor hugely successful events locally including the Heineken Open (tennis), which we have sponsored for well over a decade without incident.”

So how exactly do you control a spirited sports crowd?

DB says the high cost of tickets may be the first step to instilling some reserve into the Kiwi drinking psyche.

“The cost of tickets to Rugby World Cup 2011 will be prohibitive to many Kiwis,” Campbell says.

“Those who do purchase tickets are unlikely to risk being refused bar service, or being evicted, by drinking excessively and behaving badly. Peer pressure often applies at events such as major premium international sporting events where the crowd will quickly pinpoint someone who is misbehaving or acting inappropriately and point them out to authorities.

“The sheer presence of Police in stadia during Rugby World Cup 2011 will also send a very clear signal to ticket-holders that they are expected to behave in a mature and responsible manner.

“Overall, we do think Kiwis have a healthy attitude towards drinking at sporting fixtures because of the increasing cost of attending events and the repercussions for not behaving appropriately. The stadia themselves have very strict rules around serving alcohol and ensuring consumption is moderated.”

Wellington’s Inspector Dave Allen is second in charge of Operation Rugby World Cup 2011, the official New Zealand Police response to the event. He’s also optimistic that most Kiwis and international visitors will behave themselves and drink responsibly.

“Basic common sense will tell you people spending a lot of money on tickets and people who have travelled here from overseas at great expense are going to be attending primarily for the rugby,” he told Matters of Substance.

“But with any event of this nature and its inevitable association with alcohol, you can’t always be confident common sense will prevail.”

While he doesn’t think the Rugby World Cup will descend into an unbridled booze-fest – rugby the game is culturally important to us after all – he says Police are prepared for what they term “any surge in public response”.

On the cans issue, he says that, while the Police view on whether or not to provide beer in cans didn’t prevail, the important thing is we have a decision that we now have to work with.

“We have plenty of options for dealing with people who want to do the wrong thing (with beer cans or otherwise), and those options range from eviction to criminal charges.”

He’s also sure the large Police presence will be a firm deterrent.

“Police, security guards and stadia staff will be assessing people for sobriety and what they might be carrying and will bar anyone from entry who may cause trouble.

“People purchasing a ticket and entering a venue have actually willingly entered into a contract to abide by certain required rules as published on the RWC website – and there will be similar rules in place at fan zones such as Party Central.

“But for us, this isn’t about curtailing normal revelry, and we certainly don’t want to be the ‘fun police’. We want people to enjoy the rugby and to enjoy alcohol while they’re there but also keep things in perspective and remember that there are behavioural expectations they need to conform to.”

Whether Kiwis have a healthy attitude towards drinking at sporting fixtures, as DB’s Mark Campbell believes, and whether we’re collectively capable of “keeping things in perspective” are debatable points for many – and fan behaviour at recent events certainly gives cause for concern.

Inspector Dave Allen’s faith in sporting fans’ love of rugby and his confidence that crowd control plans will be effective may provide some measure of reassurance. But ultimately, the proof of the pudding will be in the drinking.

• Keri Welham is a Bay of Plenty-based writer.