Submission to the Working Group on Sports Sponsorship by the Alcohol Industry

Submission to the Working Group on Sports Sponsorship by the Alcohol Industry

Introduction:

NYCI welcomes the opportunity to make a submission on this important matter. I enclose two reports for your information. “Get ‘Em Young- Mapping young people’s exposure to alcohol marketing in Ireland” which was launched by NYCI on June 9th last and records the experience and exposure of young people to alcohol marketing and advertising in Ireland. We also enclose a report by the Science Group of the European Alcohol and Health Forum which is an independent group of scientists commissioned by the EU to look at this issue. Their conclusions indicate that “The findings of the review are clear, namely that commercial communications increase the likelihood that adolescents will start to use alcohol and to drink more if they are already using alcohol.”

NYCI strongly supports the decision of Government to work towards the phasing out of sponsorship of sporting events by the alcohol industry.

Context:

At the outset we believe that the Government must take into account the overall health and well being of children and young people in Ireland. While we fully acknowledge that sporting organisations play a very important role in the lives of many young people, we believe it is problematic and counterproductive when some of that work is supported through the promotion of alcohol products.

We also believe that while it is valid for the drinks industry to highlight the economic contribution of their industry to Ireland, that must be weighed up against the social and economic costs of alcohol misuse and alcohol related harm to children and young people. Also we believe that the Department of Health and Children has to take into account the costs of alcohol related harm and misuse on the Exchequer. In 2003 it was estimated by the Strategic Taskforce on Alcohol that alcohol related problems cost the State €2.65 billion per annum.[1] This has to be a serious issue in light of the current economic circumstances and the pressures on the public purse.

Alcohol Misuse among Young People:

The Government must tackle the causes of alcohol misuse and alcohol related harm among children and young people in Ireland today. The most recent “State of the Nation’s Children”[2] report found that;

·  20.4% of young people aged 10-17 years were drunk in the last 30 days.

·  38% of young people aged 15-17 years were drunk in the last 30 days.

·  10.3% of young people aged 12-14 years were drunk in the last 30 days.

·  1.8% of young people aged 10-11 years were drunk in the last 30 days.

Alcohol misuse among children and young people under 18 years in Ireland is among the highest in the European Union. This data corresponds with the experience of our member organisations working at a local level where the numbers and frequency of young people consuming alcohol is increasing and where they are starting to drink at a much younger age.

Consequences of Alcohol Misuse:

The short term negative implications in terms of education, family relationships, danger of accidents, injuries, unplanned sexual activity, fights, mental health difficulties etc are well known and recorded[3]. There is also evidence of a strong link between heavy underage drinking and greater likelihood of addiction in later life emerging. In 2007 the Rutland Centre highlighted that a quarter of those seeking assistance for alcohol addiction were under 24 and that a significant number started to drink at 15 or younger.[4]

Additionally there is a growing body of domestic and international evidence concerning the long term implications for children when they start to drink so young and when they drink so much and so frequently, such as the impairment of physical, mental and brain development, which is irreversible. The report of the impact of alcohol consumption on young people noted that[5];

“Alcohol abuse in adolescence, during a developmentally sensitive period, poses a particular danger to the emerging brain faculties of executive functioning and long term memory. Also it stated that “Adolescents are likely to be more vulnerable than adults to both subtle brain damage and long lasting cognitive deficits following alcohol exposure.”

Alcohol Advertising and Marketing to Young People:

NYCI acknowledges that alcohol marketing and advertising and sports sponsorship by the drinks industry are not the sole contributors to alcohol consumption by young people. However we do believe it plays a significant role and therefore any effective response to alcohol misuse and alcohol related harm among young people has to address this issue.

As noted in our Get ‘Em Young report[6]

“Alcohol marketing plays a significant role in young people’s decision to drink and in how they drink. Conclusions of a comprehensive review of the research was that there is increasingly compelling evidence that alcohol marketing is having an effect on young people’s drinking. Exposure of young people to alcohol advertising changes their beliefs and expectations about drinking and increases the likelihood of heavier drinking. Alcohol sports sponsorship links masculinity, alcohol and sport and embeds alcoholic products into the everyday life of the consumer. It reaches the target audience – young males who are the keenest sports fans and heaviest drinkers. During the 2008 European Football Championship, there was high exposure of young adolescent boys (under 16 years) to beer advertisements. Those who watched more football games had a higher intention to drink alcohol in the following months than youths who have not seen the games”

As highlighted in the report of the Oireachtas Committee[7] on this issue ccorporate sponsorship of special events is well recognized in the marketing literature as

an important component of product promotion. Sports sponsorship in particular is an effective promotional tool. In the marketing literature, the primary reason given for corporations to undertake sports sponsorships is to achieve television exposure for their companies or brands.

Public Support for Action:

The Oireachtas report also highlights the strong public support for measures to restrict the marketing and advertising of alcohol. A survey conducted in 2002 found that;

·  66% agreed that alcohol advertising should be restricted on TV and in public places.

·  53% agreed that drinks companies should be restricted from sponsoring sports and cultural events.

In that context we welcome the Programme for Government decision to “Discuss the question of the sponsorship of sporting events by the alcohol industry with the aim of phasing it out.[8]”

Implementation of Government Decision:

There is a very clear Government decision to move towards the phasing out of drinks industry sponsorship of sporting events. Therefore the work and role of the group is to look at a reasonable timeframe for doing so. We are sympathetic to views which suggest that the sporting bodies need a number of years to replace existing funding. However we have a duty to protect the current generation of children from excessive and pervasive alcohol advertising and marketing and therefore some end date will have to be recommended by the group.

We are therefore surprised by the question in your letter of May 14th which asks “Could alcohol sponsorship be phased out in Ireland?” It is obvious to us that this question has already been decided by Government. Our role is primarily to determine how and when that can be done in the interests of all.

Next Steps:

In order to assess the time the sporting bodies would require for a transition to an era without sponsorship by drinks companies it is vital that we have up to date data as to the levels and extent of sponsorship at present. We need to know what level and percentage of total budget sporting bodies generate from drinks industry sponsorship. As suggested by NYCI at the first working group meeting if there are issues of commercial or organizational sensitivity arising about disclosing information, this data could be collated by an official in the Department and overall figures could be supplied.

We also think it is vital to distinguish between drinks industry sponsorship, advertising and marketing of sporting events and local level sponsorship of teams by local publicans. We are focused solely on the phasing out of marketing and advertising of alcohol products and brands through a variety of media channels for sporting events.

NYCI does not envisage or want to prevent local pubs from supporting local sports clubs. This is generally done by means of advertising of the pub on jerseys, etc. In our view such sponsorship consists of the promotion of a business that sells and serves alcohol, but not exclusively so. In relation to underage drinking the vast majority of pubs tend to be well run and supervised and young people under 18 do not get access to alcohol at these locations. We also believe that the legal consequences of serving alcohol to young people under 18 are a significant deterrent for most publicans.

1

[1] Strategic Taskforce on Alcohol, Department of Health and Children, 2nd report, September 2004.

[2] Office of the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, December 2008.

[3] Impact of Alcohol Consumption on Young People, a Systematic Review of Published Reviews, Department for Children, Schools and Families, UK January 2009.

[4] Sunday Independent, August 26th 2007.

[5] Impact of Alcohol Consumption on Young People, a Systematic Review of Published Reviews, Department for Children, Schools and Families, UK January 2009

[6] Get ‘em Young: Mapping young people’s exposure to alcohol marketing in Ireland, June 2009, NYCI.

[7] The relationship between alcohol misuse and the drinks industry sponsorship of sporting activities, Joint Committee on Arts, Sport, Tourism, Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs, March 2007.

[8] Programme for Government 2007-2012, Page 63. Department of the Taoiseach 2007.