Never seen this and would be really turned off by it. There are plenty of drinks that aren't alcoholic that you can have on the field. Yes, even for a 9 hour day. There's all evening to have a relaxing drink. To need alcohol for a good time or to relax or make it through a "boring" day is gross to me.

California mom, and I have seen it out here, but it's always discreetly done.

Huh, at the hotel in the evening certainly, a beer at lunch between games definitely. But never been involved with a team who drank on the sidelines. And pretty sure I wouldn't want to be. Or a club that didn't have a problem with it. It's an odd mix with youth sports and doesn't seem like it could lead to anything positive. If you can't watch your kid play soccer for an hour and a half without a drink I think you probably have a problem of some sort.

Society has rules for a reason. If you can't stay sober at your childrens' athletic events, you might have larger issues.

Probably not allowed but very normal/common. Agree parents are usually a bit more discreet about it.

I've done tailgating at both club soccer and volleyball tournaments. OP sounds like a rookie.

Anonymous wrote:I've also camped at over 50 state and national parks where alcohol is not permitted. But I have drank at everyone. Some of those rules are there to both discourage obnoxious drinking and to have as a set rule to boot out a person if they do become obnoxious. I feel that is the same for most tournaments, they all say no drinking, but I have seen low key drinking/ tailgating at all of them. -But I have never seen open consumption right at the sideline of a game.

Got news for you...IF you do get caught, this is a felony. The one place you do not want to do a misdemeanor crime is on federal land. You are upping the ante big time. Not worth it.

I experienced this in my son’s little league team. A small contingent of moms would bring mimosas or hard seltzers and pour then into thermoses. They also made Jell-O shots for the playoff games. They always offered to all the other parents, but most would decline.

These same parents also generally promoted an unhealthy relationship with alcohol as normal to their kids— frequent gatherings with other families where most parents got tipsy/drunk and the kids fended for themselves all evening, being hungover and then continuing to drink the next day, etc.

As far as I could tell, none of the other teams were doing this.

I've also camped at over 50 state and national parks where alcohol is not permitted. But I have drank at everyone. Some of those rules are there to both discourage obnoxious drinking and to have as a set rule to boot out a person if they do become obnoxious. I feel that is the same for most tournaments, they all say no drinking, but I have seen low key drinking/ tailgating at all of them. -But I have never seen open consumption right at the sideline of a game.

Veteran parent move. The games are boring and the day is long

Against park and tournament rules. It says "No Alcohol" on almost every tournament's home page.

This is normal at every tournament I’ve been to. It’s literally on the sign up genius for people to bring adult beverages, mixers and ice.

Some tournaments sell beer on site, but you have to drink it in a confined area next to where it's sold. Making drinks on the sidelines is definitely not allowed and in poor taste. Plenty of parents have drinks in the parking lot though. Tailgating is kind of an American thing.

I’ve seen it multiple times over the years, including from other parents on our teams. Usually, it’s on the DL, though.

Saw a boys team yesterday (U14) where the parents were basically having their own portable bar on the sidelines. They had a cooler and were making mixed drinks next to the field. Is this normal or allowed? I don't want to cast judgment without knowing if this is commonplace elsewhere. Does this happen? And, should it happen?