This is when TCU fans can expect to buy beer at a home football game

TCU coach Gary Patterson has not committed to naming Shawn Robinson his starting quarterback, and TCU won’t commit to selling beer at its football games just yet, either.

Both are inevitable, but the latter is at least one year away. At least.

Per TCU director of athletics Jeremiah Donati, beer sales at TCU football games won’t be happening in 2018. The earliest TCU fans can expect to buy beer at home football games is 2019, when the new $100 million Amon G. Carter Stadium east side club project is complete.

But even 2019 doesn’t sound like a sure thing. Donati is taking this process slow, mostly because of concerns relating to a now pass-out policy that would come with beer sales.

TCU wants to join the growing number of Big 12 schools, and other programs nationally, that sell beer at its home games but it’s taking a more of a toe-in-the-water approach to changing the culture of its in-game experience.

TCU had previously made beer available to fans in club level suite seating.

In late April, TCU announced plans to sell beer for the final seven home baseball games. Also included in that announcement was to end its pass-out policy, which allows fans to come and go as they wish.

TCU deliberately selected the weakest part of the baseball schedule to try out the new policy so the plan would be a success.

Both the no pass-out and beer sales at the baseball games went without a problem, and that will remain a part of the scene at Lupton Stadium for the future.

The plan was to try selling beer at baseball games with the target of eventually expanding the two policies to basketball and football games.

There is a good chance the school will try out beer sales at basketball games for the 2018-19 season. The only concern regarding that policy is the close proximity of fans to the playing surface.

Once basketball is added then football is next. That happens when its latest project is done.

Sources said that more than $60 million of the necessary funding to build the east side stadium club area is complete; the athletic department needs to raise $80 million while the school will contribute the remaining $20 million. The plan is to open the area well in advance of the 2019 season.

The area will be able to seat 800 people, and TCU is targeting the space to be available for events outside of football. The space will be available to rent for weddings, parties, banquets, etc.

TCU has discussed including in the space a year-round restaurant. Enthusiasm for this part of the plan is mild, at best.

Donati envisions a day when beer is available at Amon G. Carter Stadium for football games for, but the timeline is slow.

At Big 12 media days, Commissioner Bob Bowlsby was asked for his thoughts on the increase of alcohol sales at the league’s member schools.

“Institutions are left to their own discretion and, as you know, some (have gone) forward with it and some have not,” he said. “It’s largely a matter of institutional culture. From a personal standpoint, I do think that probably it’s selling alcohol in the stadium is probably superior to having pass-outs at halftime where everybody goes out and power drinks for the length of the halftime.

“I think from a game management standpoint it’s better managed with a controlled environment inside but reasonable people can disagree on it.”

TCU fans can expect to be able to buy a beer at a home football game, but it just won’t be this year. And don’t hold your breath on next year, either.

This story was originally published July 16, 2018 at 1:18 PM.