Pubs already booked up for Euros final as bar sells 10,000 pints during England semi

Bars and pubs are already fully booked ahead of Gareth Southgate’s final clash with Italy on Sunday at 8pm.

After a turbulent 18 months with ongoing closures due to the pandemic, bosses say that while restrictions are still in place the tournament has been a “huge boost”.

Punters packed out pubs to watch the team make history on Wednesday by booking a place in the final – and now venues are set for a bumper weekend as drinkers cross their fingers for the Three Lions to go one further.

Bar Sport Cannock sold close to 10,000 pints during the match against Denmark on Wednesday – compared to around 100 on a typical Wednesday night.

While Wayne Etheridge, manager of the Britannia Sports in Wollaston, Stourbridge, said they sold around 300 cases of bottled beer during Wednesday’s game.

He said: "On Sunday, we are going to open at 11am and we expect to be at capacity around two hours before kick off, so you're looking at people being in the pub for nearly eight hours.

"In normal circumstances, people would come in perhaps two hours before the game to soak up the atmosphere, but it's different this time because of the circumstances and because of England getting to the final.

"I have 500 cases of bottled beers chilling in preparation for Sunday and I think we'll have a busy day, but I'm looking forward to it."

Scott Murray, owner of Bar Sport in Cannock, said: "The tournament has been a huge boost to us as we've been closed for the best part of a year and while there are still restrictions in place and we're at half-capacity, it's been a great time for us.

"We feel so much better economically, compared to where we were a few months ago, and England getting through to the final is exactly what we needed as we've had more customers come in as a result.

"On Wednesday night, I think we probably sold close to 10,000 pints, when we would normally sell about 100 on a typical Wednesday night, and I think we'll double that amount on Sunday.

"We've had the football boost and it's been great for us and, with Sunday, we'll end up making the equivalent of a month's business in one day, which is great news for us even when we're at half capacity."

Terry Cole, manager of the Royal Oak in Wolverhampton, added: “We are not traditionally a football pub, but the European Championships have been a great boost to us because we’ve had more and more people coming to watch the games.”

"We've gone from 25 people watching the first game to more than 130 on Wednesday, so the last few England games have been like an extra Friday night for us financially each week.

"I think on Wednesday, we probably sold close to 600 pints, which is massive as we would usually sell around 120 on a normal Wednesday."