The University of Texas (UT) approved a policy to allow for beer and wine sales at home football games this upcoming season.
Gregory Fenves, the newly inaugurated president at UT, made approving alcohol sales at football games a priority immediately after taking office earlier this month. Steve Patterson, UT's athletic director, has proposed the idea in the past, but the school's former chancellor, Francisco Cigarroa, did not agree.
According to the Associated Press, Fenves and Bill McRaven, who recently replaced Cigarroa as chancellor, announced the new policy Wednesday.
UT's new policy came after a trial run to gauge potential safety risks of selling alcoholic beverages at football games. UT will also work with its vendors at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium to strictly enforce the minimum drinking age. Patterson indicated the policy would not have passed if the school was not completely confident they could do so safely.
"Fan safety and enjoyment remains our number one priority as we work through the process of expanding beer and wine sales into all seating areas of the stadium," Patterson said in a statement. "During our extensive pilot, we found fans and staff handled the situation responsibly and we had no negative issues or situations. We will continue to monitor the service closely.
"We are expanding what we already do, in an effort to be more inclusive of all fans. Texas Athletics and Sodexo have vended these beverages in football private suites and club areas for several years without incident."
