TALLAHASSEE, Fla. _ Florida State is going to offer limited alcohol sales during football season, a move the school hopes will create an enjoyable fan experience and is sure to provide a financial boost for the athletics program.
The university will sell beer and wine in five locations during home football games in 2019. Two locations within Doak Campbell Stadium will serve the expanded concessions menu along with three locations in tailgating areas outside the stadium.
The specific locations of the concession stands and full menus will be released at a later date.
FSU athletics director David Coburn said in a news release Wednesday he's confident the decision will be a beneficial one.
"We have worked closely with both FSU and Tallahassee police to monitor our alcohol sales at athletic venues, and we believe we have a good plan in place to continue a successful program at our football games," he said. "We also benefit from having a fairly comprehensive guide of best practices drawn from the experiences with alcohol sales at other college and professional football venues around the country. We expect our fans who choose to take advantage of this program to do so responsibly."
The sale of beer and wine will be open to the public at all five locations. However, the two areas inside Doak Campbell will require that all alcoholic beverages be consumed within a designated area adjacent to the concession stand. Alcohol consumption will not be permitted in any public location inside Doak Campbell other than the two designated areas.
The concession stands in the tailgating area will open when the parking lots open and will end all sales 10 minutes prior to scheduled kickoff time. The two areas within Doak Campbell will open when the gates open and will stop service at the end of the third quarter.
Alcohol has been sold at FSU men's basketball games since the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center opened in 1981 and at women's basketball games since the program moved from Tully Gym. Beer has been sold at FSU home baseball and softball games during the past two seasons. The Seminole Boosters opened a members-only concessions area within Doak Campbell Stadium during the 2019 Spring Game that served beer and wine.
