Fans face a harsh blow from English law when trying to watch football for free

In an attempt to watch football without paying, a fan rented a hotel room overlooking the pitch but overlooked one crucial detail.

A football supporter was stunned to discover that the room he booked with a direct view of the pitch at the Blackpool FC hotel had to have its curtains drawn shut throughout the entire match.

Darren Dowling (29) and his friend David Handling (35) paid £130 to rent rooms converted from old VIP suites right at Blackpool’s Bloomfield Road stadium. However, when the League One derby between Blackpool and Bolton Wanderers began, their view of the pitch was completely blocked by tightly closed curtains.

Darren and David could only hear the cheers of fans through the sealed window before Darren found a letter from the manager of Blackpool FC Stadium Hotel.

The letter stated that curtains must remain closed from one hour before kickoff until the end of the match to comply with EFL and FA regulations. Darren expressed his frustration: “It’s really strange. Completely unreasonable. A hotel with rooms overlooking the pitch but you’re not allowed to watch the game. We still opened the curtains to watch, what can they do about it?”

“We chose this place because we heard the rooms had a direct view of the pitch. But when booking online and checking in, no one mentioned the curtain rule. Another absurd thing is that rooms are cheaper on non-match days but more expensive on match days, even though you can’t watch the game.”, Darren said angrily.

When The Sun contacted the hotel, an employee confirmed the rule was real and mentioned that the club assigned staff to monitor the rooms, warning that violators could face penalties.

“We require all Executive Pitch View rooms to have curtains closed from one hour before kickoff until the match ends,” the letter from Blackpool FC stated.

The unnamed staff member added: “This is a mandatory rule. Even the restaurant has to close its shutters. We don’t make these rules; we just have to comply. If there’s no match, like when the first team is training, guests can look out. This rule only applies on match days.”

According to investigations, the curtain rule is intended to minimize distractions for players and referees and to comply with alcohol laws. The Sporting Events (Control of Alcohol etc.) Act 1985 prohibits drinking alcohol in places with a view of the pitch on match days. Since hotel rooms are private spaces and security cannot easily monitor alcohol consumption inside, clubs are forced to enforce this measure.