Oxford Partnership’s Market Watch data showed the on-trade enjoyed a significant sales surge over the recent weekend.
The day of the final (Sunday 27 July) was the standout of the weekend, seeing pint sales soar by 14.3% compared to the previous weekend.
Operator of the Gardeners Arms/Murderers in Norwich, which is a previous winner and current finalist at the 2025 Great British Pub Awards, Philip Cutter told The Morning Advertiser: “The Women’s Euros was certainly a rollercoaster!
“We’ve spent a lot of time working with local women’s football leagues and teams over the past couple of years.
“We have partnered with a national organisation called ‘Her Game Too’, which promotes venues that offer a safe environment for women to feel safe watching sport and we’ve seen exceptional footfall, especially throughout the knock-out stages of the tournament.”
The Women’s Euros was certainly a rollercoaster!
Philip Cutter, the Gardeners Arms/Murderers, Norwich
While the start of the competition was fairly quiet in the Royal Dyche, Burnley, as England got closer to the final, trade continued to rise.
Owner of the pub Justine Lorriman, who was the 2024 Licensee of the Year, told The Morning Advertiser: “The Euros were really quiet during the group stages. We even tried pushing ‘free half time hotdogs’ and scheduled DJs/live music around the games to increase footfall but it was fairly disappointing.
“As the Lionesses progressed, we got a lot busier and the extra time/penalties were always great for trade as it kept customers in for a lot longer than anticipated as they wanted to see the end result.
“We had our annual music festival this weekend (ending Sunday 27 July). It’s always the same weekend every year and planned well in advance so I had to shuffle some things around to accommodate for the big final.
“We were very busy and the atmosphere was incredible!”
Something for everyone
The ongoing growth of women’s football was lauded by the Lancashire-based pub operator.
She added: “It was fantastic to see so many people supporting the women’s game and truly see how the sport is rapidly growing.
“I’m bored of reading the same silly comments on social media - comparing the women’s football to the men’s, there’s too much negativity around it.
“It was so refreshing to see the people who wanted to watch the final with commentary, sat inside and glued to the screens.
“And then people outside in our beer garden were listening to the live bands we had on but it was still on a screen outside.
“We try to bring something for everyone, creating a space where all our customers can enjoy the atmosphere in their own way.”
The success of the Lionesses was amazing, both as a massive England fan and for the hospitality sector.
Big Penny head of commercial Frank Maguire
London’s Big Penny Social reported a rise of 44% in advance bookings alongside large increases in walk-in footfall.
Furthermore, for the first time, the venue ticketed the event at £5 per person with 1,000 sold out in under three minutes.
Big Penny head of commercial Frank Maguire said: “The success of the Lionesses was amazing, both as a massive England fan and for the hospitality sector.
“Following their success in England 2022 and coming so close down under in 2023, the appetite from fans for women’s football has risen like a rocket.
“These numbers are testament to the success of the game itself and the improvements we’ve made to our team, bigger and better bars in the venue with more than 100 taps pouring at high capacity events and marketing efforts to raise our profile as one of the best places to watch sport screenings in the UK among everything else we offer.
“We’ll continue to build on that into the men’s North American World Cup 2026 before the Lionesses go for world dominance in 2027!”
Fan support
Greene King pubs showed every match from the start to the end of the tournament as well as offering drinks promotions and introduced booking systems.
Head of sport Michelle West said: “What a great result for the Lionesses! We’re so proud to have been able to give the women’s game the stage it deserved during the tournament - not only did we commit to showing every minute of every game throughout the Women’s Euros, but it was amazing to see the fan support in our pubs from the first match through to the final.
“For the first time, fans could book tables for the women’s fixtures and enjoy our first-ever celebratory beer for women’s sports - Cheers Her(e).
“Our commitment to enhance the in-pub atmosphere for women’s sport does not stop here and we’re looking forward to sharing more details on this soon.”
Fellow pub company Star Pubs reported an uplift of almost 40% in sales during the final.
Managing director Lawson Mountstevens said: “The final was nail biting right to the last shot and the atmosphere in our pubs across the country reflected every heart-standing moment.
“We saw sales jump by nearly 40% during the match - a clear sign that when it comes to big national moments like this, the pub is still the natural place where people come together to support their home team.
“It’s more than just watching the game - it’s about sharing the highs, the nerves, the passion and the joy of victory.
“Our Lionesses went above and beyond to create welcoming spaces where communities could come together and be part of the national celebration.”
We saw sales jump by nearly 40% during the match.
Star Pubs managing director Lawson Mountstevens
Trading hours were extended for the semi final and final stages of the tournament, meaning pubs that would usually close at 11pm were permitted to remain open until 1am.
This came in handy to an extent at the Gardeners Arms/Murderers for the showing of these matches.
“The extended hours were useful for the semi-final match against Italy, when the fixture went to extra time, guests stayed around for a while but seemed to leave before midnight,” Cutter added.
“The final on Sunday (27 July) kicked off at 5pm and despite extra time and the subsequent penalties, the game’s coverage was largely over by 9.30pm, when most of the celebrations had subsided and we were closed by 11pm.”
