Nebraska Regents approve expansion of alcohol sales to all athletic events, including football and volleyball
LINCOLN, Neb. (KOLN) - The University of Nebraska Board of Regents approved a request to allow alcohol sales and consumption at all athletic events, including football and volleyball games, during their meeting Friday morning.
The Board voted 9-1-1, with Regent Kathy Wilmot voting no and UNMC Student Regent Pranita Devaraju abstaining, to permit alcohol sales at University of Nebraska athletic venues, starting with the 2025-26 season. Previously, Nebraska was the only Big Ten institution not approved to sell alcohol at football games.
During public comments, several people opposed the sale of alcohol at Husker events. One woman emphasized the importance of having them remain family friendly environments. “I’d like to have you think, does this university do everything that other universities do? I would hope not and I cannot understand why this is so important to start selling alcohol at the events,” she said.
Nebraska Athletics will not need to seek further approval from the Board for each individual event.
Dr. Jeffrey Gold, University of Nebraska system president, noted that revenue from alcohol sales would support the university’s alcohol safety programs.
“This has been an important discussion point with our Board and we are fully committed to using this opportunity to increase our investment in studying the outcomes of these changes and investing is safety initiatives,” Dr. Gold said.
In 2022, the Board amended its policy to allow alcohol sales at designated athletic events but required individual approval for each venue or event. Since then, alcohol has been sold at Husker basketball games at Pinnacle Bank Arena, baseball and softball games at Haymarket Park, and at special events like the Big Ten Wrestling Championships in 2022 and Volleyball Day in Nebraska in 2023. No major alcohol-related incidents have been reported at these events.
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