College football fans attending general-seating areas at Highpoint.com Stadium this fall for Rutgers games will be able to purchase beer and wine for the first time.
The school announced it will sell alcohol in general-seating areas, per NJ.com, and expects to make a tidy profit from the venture.
“This decision was the result of a year-long review of the experience and data from across the college landscape,” Rutgers Athletics Director Pat Hobbs said in a statement.
Rutgers joins the 51 other FBS schools that allowed alcohol sales last year in general-seating areas for football games. Any concerns about alcohol related incidents on game days are being put on the shelf due to a recent drop-off in those incidents in recent years.
“Universities have seen a dramatic drop in alcohol related incidents on game day by providing a controlled environment for beer and wine sales,” Hobbs said. “We will work closely with RUPD to achieve similar results at Rutgers.”
As part of that plan, Rutgers says it will limit alcohol sales to two drinks per person per transaction, and cut off sales “at a pre-determined time (likely at the end of the third quarter),” during games, per the report.
The university hopes to use the revenue created by the sale of alcohol to “Improve the overall fan experience in the years ahead, from concessions to apparel sales,” Hobbs said. “We want our venues to be the destination for our fans here in New Jersey and across the New York metropolitan area.”