Pull an all-nighter? How parents, schools, fans and police plan to cope with England’s 1am kick-off | England
England have reached the last 16 of the World Cup and, as is usual when preparing for a major international football match, the country may be losing its mind.
On top of the men’s team’s 60-year pain, England fans have another hurdle to overcome in the upcoming game: the difficult kick-off time of 01:00 GMT.
The final whistle of the match can be blown at 03:00 at the earliest. However, if the game goes into extra time and goes to penalties, as is often the case in England, we could be facing a finish at 4 in the morning.
Should we let the kids stay up? Where will we watch it? What time is it at the bar? When should we start drinking? When should we stop drinking? Here we take a look at the potential impact of the 1pm fixture.
schools
The debate over what children should and should not do for the 1am game broke out soon after England’s win against the DR Congo, when their manager Thomas Tuchel warned parents to let their children leave school for the Mexico game.
“Write an excuse for school and let them watch football,” he said. “There are a lot of schools to go to, but the World Cup happens every four years.”
I don’t know about Mr Tuchel refusing to clean a seven-year-old’s teeth because he didn’t like the taste of toothpaste while yelling at a 10-year-old to “put your damn shoes” for the 18th time at 8.30am – and all this after a “good night’s sleep” – but (ahem). friend I have mine…
Parents’ WhatsApp groups are now full of strategies for this fixture. Going to bed at the regular time, waking them up at 1 a.m., and putting them back to bed at 3 a.m. when they’re fueled by the adrenaline rush of a win or crippled by the serotonin crash of a loss? Fill them with Haribo, shove matchsticks into their eyelids, keep them going until the final whistle, and risk tsunami-scale tantrums the next day? Or get a full night’s sleep, avoid the score if possible, and replay it before leaving for school; but are you missing the magic of the live moment? This is an impossible first world problem. Will no one think about the children?
Ministers have been vague enough. Education minister Bridget Phillipson said: “It’s a late game but children can go to school the next day.” Apparently Phillipson thinks kids can have their cake and eat it too. At 3am.
While some schools told parents that their children could arrive a little later, others decided to broadcast the replay of the match at school at 7am. However, this is at the discretion of school principals.
bars
There were absolute scenes in England early on Thursday as fans of the country’s two most popular pastimes – football and drinking it away – realized licensing laws only allow them to grind until 2am before pubs turn off the pumps and send them staggering home.
How are we supposed to endure this night of entertainment without the possibility of a celebratory or consolatory beer at 3 in the morning? At first, ministers were hesitant. They resisted. They would maintain their position by only allowing bars to open until 2 a.m.
But then they thought again. We’ve been training for this moment for decades. For years, ditching the gin and tonic in airports early in the morning as we waited for our cheap airline flights to the Greek or Spanish islands strengthened our resolve. We can handle a few more hours of drinking until Monday. And consider the boost to the economy; Payment data company Ayden said transaction volumes for the England v DR Congo match increased by 184% compared to non-match days.
Keir Starmer achieved the feat and gave a final thank you to the British public for being so supportive over the last two years. It was stated that bars can open until 5 in the morning. Fill your boots. “Mexican Rave” was featured on the front page of the Mirror. “Britain’s Big Nocturnal,” hailed the Daily Mail. “Tequila Sunrise” saluted the Sun. These were the best headlines the prime minister has ever made.
Police
But will the vibrations last? Breaking news: Football and excessive drinking may end badly. The police are already on edge. Those patrolling England’s city centers at 2am don’t necessarily bring out the best in the country.
Officers are bracing themselves because bars are open until 5 a.m. The National Police Chiefs’ Council was highly critical of the timing of the decision to allow pubs to remain open. The council’s head of football policing, Mark Roberts, and head of alcohol licensing and harm reduction, Scott Green, don’t want to gossip but they have a job to do and Starmer has made it harder.
“The likely route forward for England has been known for a long time, but this late announcement leaves the force obliged to adapt our plans as we see police officers working long shifts, which is taking them away from communities,” they said in a joint statement.
“From a policing perspective, our priority is to support people to enjoy the match safely and responsibly. We therefore ask those watching the match to be considerate: drink within reasonable limits and behave in a way that keeps you, your friends, staff, officers and the wider public safe.”
Transport
Likewise, there are concerns about roads; breakdown services fear thousands of fans trying to get home with their windows closed will be slapped in the face and the radio will play Sweet Caroline.
The AA has published data showing that one in four fatal and serious road collisions may be caused by fatigue. He said research has shown that a driver who remains awake for 24 hours can suffer impairment equivalent to a blood alcohol concentration of about 0.1%, above the legal limit.
The auto group said it was a myth that opening a window or turning on the radio kept a driver awake: “These are only temporary distractions and do not combat fatigue. If drivers begin yawning repeatedly, have trouble focusing or begin drifting within the lane, they should stop as soon as it is safe to do so.”
So what can be done to increase safety behind the wheel after the match? The AA said to abandon the car at the first sign of fatigue, park it, drink two cups of coffee or another caffeinated beverage, and take a 15-20 minute nap before continuing the journey.
AA Accident Assist managing director Tim Rankin added: “If fans are staying up until almost 3am to watch the game, or even 4am if it goes to extra time and penalties, they need to think carefully about how they get through Monday morning safely. Drowsy driving is an underestimated risk on our roads. Just like drink driving, fatigue affects your reactions, judgment and concentration, but many people still underestimate how dangerous it can be.”
