THE Welsh Beer and Pub Association (WBPA) has estimated that Wales fans bought 250,000 pints during the match between Wales and Turkey this Wednesday - but it could have been more in normal times.

However, the trade association warned that the boost to pubs from the match was severely hampered by ongoing restrictions, including two metre social distancing, no standing and the rule of six.

The trade association says these ongoing restrictions are negatively impacting the experience of watching Euro 2020 at the pub, and are limiting the number of customers pubs can have viewing the match.

Because of this, it has estimated that beer sales during the match against Turkey were 60,000 pints lower than if the game had been shown without restrictions.

This, the trade association says, will have resulted in a loss of revenue to pubs in Wales from the match of £235,000 during the match alone, which would have been vital to the sector’s recovery.

Overall, the trade association estimates 480,000 pints were sold on Wednesday, June 16, with 250,000 of those being sold during the game itself.

A survey of 1,000 pub goers by the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) and KAM Media found that 85 per cent of pub-going football fans believe the current restrictions will negatively impact their experience of watching UEFA Euro 2020 at the pub this summer.

Half said they would be more likely to watch UEFA Euro 2020 at their pub if all restrictions on pubs are lifted, despite 91 per cent of football fans saying they missed watching matches at the pub during lockdown.

As more and more individuals receive their vaccination, and to give the nation a return to normality and enjoy such national occasions as UEFA Euro 2020 properly, the WBPA is urging the Welsh Government to indicate when the sector can expect to have all restrictions on pubs removed.

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Emma McClarkin, Chief Executive of the Welsh Beer & Pub Association, said: “Nothing beats watching the football at the pub. We reckon Wales fans bought 250,000 extra pints when watching Wales play Turkey on Wednesday.

“The current restrictions on pubs do mean the experience isn’t the same. No standing and limits on group sizes, as well as social distancing, are going to severely reduce the number of people who can enjoy the game in the pub.

“Because of this, we expect Welsh pubs sold 60,000 fewer pints during the game than they would have done without restrictions.

"That cost Welsh pubs almost £235,000 during the game alone. Given our pubs have been closed or faced restrictions for more than a year, every little helps and is critical to our recovery and survival.

“More and more people are getting the vaccine each day. It’s time for the restrictions on our freedoms to be replaced by the protection of the vaccination and for businesses and life to get back to normal.

"We need a clear signal from the Welsh Government as to when restrictions will begin to be lifted, it is vital for confidence in our sector. The Countdown to Freedom is on.”