A country football league in Western Australia's north is successfully stopping drunk fans from brawling at matches by breath-testing them on entry.
It is not uncommon for police to breath test spectators around the country when they leave games – especially grand finals – to deter people from drink driving.
But fans are only allowed in to watch East Kimberley Football League matches held at Halls Creek if they blow 0.05 into a breathalyser.
League president Wayne Paul said the measure has meant volunteers can turn away highly intoxicated people who would otherwise cause havoc on the sidelines.
"The highest reading we had was 0.275 — I don't know how he was still riding a pushbike, but that's how he got there," he said.
"It means people are more responsible.
Brawl sparked crackdown
While the league has breath-tested players in the past, it is confident this is the first time the measure has been imposed on fans.
The decision was prompted after a brawl broke out among spectators following a match at Halls Creek between the Kururrungku Roos and Yardgee Dockers this season.
The league took serious steps to send a message to spectators.
The 10 people involved were given season-long bans and fans were locked out of Halls Creek matches the following week.
It was a big blow in a town that prides itself on its footy factory reputation.
Family-friendly goals
Four remote community teams to play their home games in Halls Creek.
Mr Paul said the league wanted to create a positive atmosphere for those who travel long distances on game day.
"We want the day to be family-friendly," he said.
He said teams supported breath-testing, which had led to a dramatic improvement in crowd behaviour.
"We definitely had some comments about how much nicer it was at the football after the first week we tested," Mr Paul said.
"The communities don't want people there causing problems for their teams because it reflects on them.
"But it's very hard for them to tell people to bugger off, because they don't tend to listen unless you've got a few big blokes on the gate saying, 'You aren't coming in.'"
Halls Creek police have backed the league and have breath-tested crowd members after matches.
Senior Sergeant Natalie Jones said police had not detected any high readings so far.
"Breath-tested, I think, 77 people and all negative results," she said.
