Why you should watch the Women’s World Cup at your local pub

Roar! The Lionesses have made it to the World Cup Final!

I Love Manchester and The Campaign for Real Ale have teamed up to encourage football fans to head to their local pub to watch England in the final of the FIFA Women’s World Cup on Sunday morning.

“Pubs are a form of community hub and while they’re a place of conversation, they’re also a place to change the conversation,” says Chris Greenhalgh, the founder of I Love MCR.

“Championing women’s football on an international level is a really important message to get behind and send to young people not just nationwide but worldwide.

“Sport has the power to change lives and the country’s favourite sport has a huge responsibility. See you at the pub!”

Luckily, there are loads of bars and pubs to watch live sport in Manchester.

The Campaign for Real Ale, is a not-for-profit consumer group with over 150,000 members that has been operating since 1971. Their vision is to have quality real ale and thriving pubs in every community.

CAMRA Chairman Nik Antona added: “Major sporting events provide a fantastic opportunity for communities to convene down at their local pub or taproom and support these essential businesses. Domestic success in international football is always good news for pubs, and we hope everyone will show their support by tuning into the match at their local. I think we are all eager to raise a glass and cheer on the Lionesses this Sunday!”

This comes after calls from the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) for government to temporarily adapt the licensing laws to allow pubs to both open and serve alcohol at an earlier than normal time prior to the start of the major game. CAMRA supports the notion of extended opening hours, believing it would encourage more pub going.

Antona added: “Pubs, clubs and taprooms are all vital parts of the social fabric of our communities and need our support now more than ever due to the rising costs of goods and employing staff, government help with energy bills being cut, and customers continuing to tighten their belts due to the cost-of-living crisis. Even a small window of an extra hour could be enough to attract more punters to the bars of our country’s locals.

“While you cheer on the England team, CAMRA will continue to campaign for the nation’s pubs, clubs, breweries and cider producers. Business rate relief currently in place in England is due to end in 2024, and the new draught duty rate – designed to help level the playing field between pubs and supermarkets – still needs refining to make sure it’s properly supporting the trade. The Government needs to act soon in order for pubs to survive and thrive, and this will be the main focus for us when we launch our campaigning ahead of an expected Autumn fiscal event.”