In regards to drinking at the sixers games. I personaly have never had a drink at the sixers games myself. But I am usually the first to suggest going to the pub after the game.
I dont have a problem with it. I think there should be dry zones though where familys especially can sit without any alcohol surrounding the.
Im the complete opposite at the football tho and we drink several beers during the game. I am still astonished that you cant have a beer at Footy Park while watching the game. Should be just like the MCG and again have designated areas.

Australian culture my friend. The general population enjoys a bevvie or two. I wouldn't think too many parents drink and drive on a Friday night, as one of the mum and dad (generally) drives home while the other has a few.

Ahhhh the good ol' days of having many bevvies at the bball...

Graeme, perhaps so....

But I am being naive in asking why we are serving booze during junior games?? I guess that is more my question.....why would we???

And dont get me wrong, I'm no wowser, I enjoy a cold frothy at the end of a working day as much as the next person :)

Booze = $$$
Simple as that.

i saw an ugly incident at friday nights game vs wollongong...
a few guys were quite drunk standing at the top and were screaming things out and quite often were swearing. A father was holding his baby and asked them to stop swearing and drunk and out of control they continued to drink and scream. Not pleasant at all, and i think dry zones are a great idea. I think drinking is okay, if it is kept under control...for everyones sake! at junior games, well thats just crazy really..commmon sense should prevail

Yeah I know skip...i guess I am disturbed that clubs will chase $$ instead of meeting what I am sure a reasonable person would regard as a social and moral obligation.

I dont see an issue about having a bar open for senior comps, go for it....just junior games seems wrong to me.

yogee, I'm like you and don't believe it should be served at junior games but I guess it is one of the ways for the clubs to make money and hopefully not have to charge as much junior fees as they do. I'm not sure what I said really happens but is the answer I get from the club executive.

Surely, then people will be seeing 20 players on the court!

I agree with what you have said Yogee..

but.. why do you feel the need to say - 'im no wowser etc etc..'?

Just because society says if youre a man you have to drink alcohol - doesnt mean you (or anyone) should have to justify whether they do or do not drink. I know plenty of people who don't drink. It doesnt make them 'wowsers' or less fun to be around. Usually its quite the opposite.

hmm... not sure how that related to basketball! Too much wine tonight :)

Adults need to take responsibility for what they consume, particularly in the presence of their children. If they have 1 or 2 beers, that's being responsible. If they overdo it, then they are not setting a good example to their children, not to mention the danger of driving them home. Clubs need all the money they can get and if selling alcohol helps, then its OK. No one forces you to go and buy a drink, the choice is entirely up to you. Atleast by serving alcohol, parents can socialise with other parents and encourages them to come and watch their children play instead of dropping them off and picking them up later.

Disagree totally. Absolutely nothing wrong with having a designated area in a sporting stadium where spectators can have a drink.

Clubs do not have a moral/social responsibility beyond responsible serving of alcohol. Clubs have more of a responsiblity to ensure the survival and prosperity of the club, and if that means running a profitable bar on junior nights, then so be it.

I do think game night management at the Sixers should designate family areas/dry zones, and come down harder on drunks at the game who cause a scene. I might know the incident you are talking about Yogee - involved some fairly well known lads from the basketball community insulting females. Those people should be banned for a season.

As far as clubs having a responsibility toward kids and towards teaching them the proper attitudes toward drink-driving, that's a parent's job.

Unless you have proof of a coach drinking before coaching, don't post crap like this. This just seems to be another attempt at Eagle bashing, and we don't need to turn an honest discussion into another pissing contest.

Everything is about moderation.
I enjoy a beer after watching my son play on Friday evenings.
So do most the other parents in his team.
We bring platters of food, and enjoy the social side of the evening and also watching the older players.
It is a very good way to end the working week.

To say it sets a bad example to the kids is nonsense.
What is different to inviting a few people with childdren for a BBQ at home. You have a beer or 2, and then they all drive home.
Any responsible host wll make sure that no one drives having drunk too much.

Sporting clubs play a very important role in society.
It is not only about the sport, but also about the social interaction that is very important.

Moderation is important, and it is sad that we get deprived of certain rights because certain groups of people are not able to act responsibly.

It's not the parents who are the problem...it's the young males......

From SA Road Safety
"Drink driving offenders are usually detected by their erratic driving behaviour, committing traffic offences, through being involved in a crash, or in Random Breath Testing Initiatives.
The presence of alcohol in the bloodstream of a driver or rider reduces driving skills and affects judgment and risk-taking behaviour. More than a quarter of all drivers and motorcycle riders killed in the Adelaide metropolitan area had
Blood Alcohol Concentrations (BACs) above the legal limit of 0.05.
In rural areas, 29% of drivers and riders killed had illegal BAC levels.
On average, 22 male and 4 female drivers or riders with a BAC level 0.05 or above are killed in fatal crashes each year.
The most at risk group are 16-30 year old males. The 21 to 25 year age group has the greatest number of drink drivers or riders killed.
Overall, 85% of the drink drivers or riders killed are male."

My only comment is that if you cannot survive for a couple of hours anywhere without having to drink, then you are quite clearly an alcohlic.

I agree with Stepen D.
I haven't heard reports of parents going over the top drinking after a game.
Perhaps their are incidents but i would say there are many more incidents that involve the 'ugly parent' who is abusive on the sidelines and who doesn't drink.

Parents spend a lot on their kids and to have a beer after the game with other parents surely isn't a bad thing. Basketball is a social family occasion and fortunately we do have bars at stadiums so after a long week at work you can have a beer and relax. It's too bad some coaches don't have a beer with parents after games.

Kids after a game(and before) want lollies, donuts and sugar filled drinks, is that next on yogee's list?

Dana I appreciate the statistics, do you have any on parents leaving basketball stadiums?

I love that expression "a beer". That could of course be anything between 1 and 12, but then again, when one is tanked, who's counting!

sorry Squidly Diddly... replace with "a quiet drink"

Oh yes Maurice, or even a roady or cleansing ale, or a coldy - all pretty childish and pathetic really.

Yogee. This is a very good topic.
Not that I agree with what you say.

Most people can have a drink without getting sloshed.

We never drink before or during the game. But we do enjoy a beer or glass of wine after the game.

It s a very good environment to mix with the other parents from the other teams.
What I enjoy, is that I have socialised with quite a few parents from other clubs, who we see 8 or 9 times a year.

Baketball is demanding on the parents, and it is very geared towards the kids, driving them around Adelaide, driving to practises 3 times a week. And how many of us have to suffer an early Sunday morning practise. That is enough to drive one to drink.

It is important to look after the deprived parents who need that drink on Friday night.

I too enjoy a beer or a few on a Friday night after the game, all our parents get together in the bar for a drink and socialize,it makes it a great night out and the kids have a ball running around with their team mates mucking around as well as practicing and you can watch any games that interest you!
I don't know about trouble at u/12 and u/14 games though on a Friday night caused by alcohol,obviously if there has been, the alcohol wouldn't have been bought at the club as the u/12's start at 6.00 or 6.15 and the bars don't normally seem to be opened til after that!
Who knows maybe I'm hanging out at the wrong club to support my drinking habit

Ease up Squid, why is it childish or pathetic to have a beer during a game, it is not a matter of surviving a couple of hours without a drink, some people might WANT to have a beer...

As long as they are not driving over the limit, why judge someone for a "roadie" or "cleansing ale"?????

My personal decision as a parent would be to not drink at the basketball on a friday night and then drive my children home.

So with this in mind why can't all parents be responsable for there decisions.

It is not up to the club

a good example is holding a party at your house. Everyone comes and drinks and then have to make the decision who will drive home.

Does this mean you should not hold a party?

DB5, would you drink a beer if it had the exactly the same taste but was not alcoholic?

I am a time poor parent - and I know I am not alone out there, but I want to support my kids and their club. I am more than happy to sell oversized chocolate frogs, cook snags til they are coming out of my ears and sell raffle tickets 'til I bleed with papercuts if it meant that clubs didn't need to have a bar to financially support it's programs - I know- I'm dreaming, what a perfect world that would be!
But, I also agree, the constant chase around Adelaide and surrounding towns to get kids to games, trainings etc yes, parents do need to have "me-time" and so long as a bar is going to be available at Junior games I guess that is where it is going to be had - hopefully responsibly and by example. Let the kids know and see that there are designated drivers who aren't drinking alcohol AT ALL and that they understand the importance of this role, one day it might save their life. Coupled with responsible displays of alcohol consumption (and following behaviours)then a drink or 2 why not? If it worries you - don't drink, but if you are going to, as the ad says "STOP THINK" and we can all be happy :)

Yeah probably squid, but i prefer the alcohol in it...hence why I don't drink diet/light beer!

My point is, if you only have a couple, and that is what YOU want to do, why does this make you an alcoholic?

It is not always surviving for a couple of hours without a drink, some people might just like one...

As long as it doesn't affect others, each to their own I say...

DB5 - its a well onown fact that ytou dont have to get sloshed to be alcoholic. It is a dependence on alcohol, a constant need for it that makes someone an alcoholic.

Kwest - I only put in "I'm not a wowser" as I know how these debates can go, and I didn;t want someone accusing me of being some sort of Prohibition person.

I understand the socialisation aspect that many peopel have reffered to, but isn't that a sad reflection on society today, when we feel the need to indulge when socialising (and I am as guilty as the next person).

I am just worried we will see the same effects as the current trend of barbaric mob behaviour, as being witnessed in junior sports in NSW lately.

cause were australian you loser

As Australians, we have the right to have a beer at any licenced premises.

We also have a government that allows us to choose (freedom of choice). We are free to choose whether or not we should have a beer, whether we should drive home or walk home from the pub.

Sporting clubs need the income that alcohol sales provide, as State and Federal funding for sport has been reduced over the last 15 years.

Adults are free to choose how to rear their children, and what values they instill.

For example, Mr x has a beer while his son plays basketball, while Mr Z sits on the sidelines and heckles the umpires. Who is the bad parent? And who makes that judgement?

Alcohol is a large part of Australian culture, and is responsible for many more deaths and illnesses each year than illicit drugs, but it is legal,and in moderation, it poses minimal significant health risk.

hello it will start by saying a few things about my self first well hi my name is catherine beinke i am 17 years of age i am in year 10 at school
well i think it is soap box time and i think alchol would be allowedat any basketball game but only in certian areas of the stadium but i do aggree with you have brought up a very good poing from catherine beinke

So yogee, everyone who enjoys a beer , be it at a 6er game or a junior game, drives home half cutt do they???

Try this one. Two people go to a match, one person drinks, the S-O-B-E-R one drives home.

Or how about this; you catch a bus, or cab or get a freind to drive you home.

Great concept.

So people, including my self choose to socialize with a drink before and after a game, be it 6ers or juniors, so what!

Cant see a problem with that. Sure some people cant handle it and do over indulge....its called life