IT was a great day for pubs up and down the country when the World Cup and Wimbledon tournaments came to a head on the same day
Operators from across Scotland told SLTN that the much-anticipated World Cup final, which was estimated to have been watched by over 1 billion people worldwide, caused a huge level of footfall and healthy trading figures for the day.
Laura Cruickshanks, assistant manager of Sportsters in Falkirk, said: “We were busy from the outset and there was a terrific atmosphere. The place was quite split, with around half supporting each side, which was good for all the goals.
“I think a lot of people had watched a lot of the tournament in the house and when it came to the final they wanted that bit of atmosphere so they went out to watch it.”
Foundry in Aberdeen was also packed out, according to deputy manager Kieren Joseph.
“We were mobbed from two o’clock right through to seven,” he said. “We thought once England got knocked out it would be quiet but it was absolutely heaving.
“We were amazed by how much money we took. We had 313 people in and a capacity of 320 so it was fantastic. We were £4000 over target.
“We had three massive tables of Croatians in with their faces painted and they helped to create a great atmosphere.
“I don’t know what we’re going to do if Scotland qualify for the 2022 World Cup – we’ll have to build an extension!”
And while Wimbledon ended with an emphatic straight sets victory for Novak Djokovic, there wasn’t much doubt about what event customers had come out to watch, said Adele Montgomery, general manager of the Commercial Hotel in Wishaw.
“No one here really bothered with the tennis, all people wanted to watch was the football,” she said.
“When we turned the tennis off to put the football on all our screens not one person complained. We had a fantastic day with the football.”
