The University of Wisconsin athletic department will begin selling alcoholic beverages in the general seating areas at Camp Randall Stadium beginning Friday, Aug. 30, when the Badgers football team hosts Western Michigan.
According to the announcement at uwbadgers.com, fans will be offered beer, wine and prepackaged alcoholic products such as hard seltzers. Sales will also begin this coming academic year at the UW Field House, home to the Badger women's volleyball and men's wrestling teams.
The University of Wisconsin athletic department will begin selling alcoholic beverages in the general seating areas at Camp Randall Stadium beginning Friday, Aug. 30, when the Badgers football team hosts Western Michigan.
According to the announcement at uwbadgers.com, fans will be offered beer, wine and prepackaged alcoholic products such as hard seltzers. Sales will also begin this coming academic year at the UW Field House, home to the Badger women's volleyball and men's wrestling teams.
Wisconsin is the 16th school in the Big Ten Conference to sell alcohol in a football stadium's general seating area.
"The option to purchase alcohol is common at collegiate athletic venues all over the country, and we're glad that we can now offer it as part of the fan experience at Camp Randall," said UW chancellor Jennifer Mnookin. "I appreciate the work our athletic and administrative teams have done to put together a plan that balances this opportunity with public safety."
As at the university's Kohl Center basketball and men's hockey arena and LaBahn Arena, home to Badgers women's hockey, fans at Camp Randall will be limited to purchasing only two drinks at a time per person, the University of Wisconsin Police Department will provide increased onsite presence, and fans will continue to have access to a text line to report any problems they may encounter. Additionally, ID policy at the stadium will mirror that at the Kohl Center and LaBahn: Anyone who appears under the age of 40 will need to show ID, which will be verified by an electronic scanner.
"We were pleased with how well alcohol sales went during the basketball and hockey seasons at the Kohl Center and LaBahn Arena last season, and we expect much of the same at Camp Randall this fall," director of athletics Chris McIntosh said as part of the announcement.
The announcement further points out that a portion of the revenue from alcohol sales will provide financial support for existing and future campus-led efforts to promote student wellness and to encourage responsible behavior around the use of alcohol, such as offering alcohol-free programming for students and supporting students experiencing challenges related to high-risk behaviors.
Jason King, Wisconsin's senior associate athletic director, told Madison CBS affiliate WDJT that purchasing alcohol was something fans had communicated they wanted inside the stadium for years.
"We wanted to make sure that we got it right," said King, adding that his department did a lot of research before implementing the expanded alcohol service plan. "The college landscape has changed over the years."
