Sports club · the third half · prize-giving
Wine for a sports club: the third half, the end-of-season dinner, race prizes
Rugby, football, tennis, sailing, running: every club ends its season around a table, and every tournament with a prize-giving. The club dinner is counted like any meal for sixty people; what changes are the rules (the bar, the Loi Évin) and the prizes. Set here for sixty players, volunteers and families.
Wine for the end-of-season dinner
Set for 60 guests, a one-hour aperitif, a meal, a two-hour party, 80% drinkers, “decent” level. Forty-eight drinkers: sixteen bottles at the aperitif, twenty-four at the meal, twelve for the party. With the margin and cases of six, the calculator shows 66 bottles: eighteen sparkling, eighteen white, twelve rosé, eighteen red. For a club, bag-in-box often does better than bottles at the meal.
Each sport has its moment
| Sport | The moment | What works |
|---|---|---|
| Rugby, football | The third half, end-of-season dinner, youth tournament | Simple red and rosé at the meal, in bag-in-box; a bottle for the committee and the partners |
| Tennis | Open tournament finals, prize-giving on court | Sparkling at the prize-giving, a bottle or a magnum per draw winner |
| Sailing | Regatta prize-giving at the sailing club | Dry white and sparkling, served chilled: the red stays in the case in July |
| Running, trail | Podiums by category | One bottle per podium place, handed over at the finish; nothing to drink on site before the end |
| Golf | Club competition, trophy dinner | See the golf club page |
Prizes: one per podium place, not one per participant
A tournament or a race ranks by category. Count the podium places before the bottles: a race with six men's and women's categories has thirty-six podium places, a tennis tournament with four draws has eight in the finals. Same rule as at golf: the prize goes up with the placing, one château per step.
| Placing | Idea | Budget |
|---|---|---|
| 1st overall | A magnum of Bordeaux for laying down | €60 to €150 |
| 1st in category | A bottle of cru bourgeois or second wine | €25 to €40 |
| 2nd and 3rd | A good Bordeaux, ready to drink | €12 to €20 |
Indicative ranges, exact prices in the quote. Young people and minors get something else: no wine on an under-17s podium.
Two rules to know
The bar. Inside a sports ground, selling alcohol is prohibited, except with a temporary authorisation from the mayor granted to sports associations, a limited number of times a year and for group 3 drinks (wine, beer, cider). Clubs affiliated to a federation have their own rules: check with the town hall. The temporary drinks licence page details the application.
The Loi Évin. This French law bars an alcohol brand from sponsoring a club or a competition: no wine logo on shirts, banners or the poster. The club buys its wine and its prizes like any other customer, and a partner company can pay for them, without advertising the wine.
How many bottles for a 60-person club's end-of-season dinner?
66, margin included, with the aperitif, the meal and two hours of party: eighteen sparkling, eighteen white, twelve rosé, eighteen red. As a raw count, fifty-two. The calculator adjusts to your numbers and your programme.
Can a club sell wine at its third half?
Not inside the sports ground without authorisation: the mayor can grant sports associations a few temporary authorisations a year, for wine, beer and cider. In the clubhouse or in a hall outside the ground, the ordinary rules for a temporary bar apply.
Can a wine merchant sponsor a sports club?
No. The Loi Évin prohibits sponsorship of a sporting event by an alcoholic drinks brand. The club can buy its wine and its prizes, and a company from another sector can fund them.
Bottle or bag-in-box for a club dinner?
Above fifty guests, a 5 or 10-litre bag-in-box costs less per glass, is quicker to serve and leaves no half-empty bottles. Bottles stay for the top table and the prizes. The bag-in-box or bottle page does the calculation.
Club mistakes
- Counting members, not drinkers. Young people, players who are driving and those playing the next day don't drink: lower the share of drinkers.
- A bottle for every finisher. Three hundred runners, three hundred bottles: the prize budget goes on wines nobody notices. Reward the podiums.
- Forgetting soft drinks. After a match, people are thirsty for water first. The wine and drivers page works out the alcohol-free drinks.
An association dinner, a bingo night? The association dinner page is set for a hundred and twenty. For another format, the general calculator. For the dinner and the prizes, ask for a quote giving the number of guests and podiums. A box at the stadium for professional matches? See boxes and hospitality.