“This is an opportunity for us to create much-needed additional revenue, not just us at Leyton Orient but every club would be able to benefit from that.

“There will be fans who will say it creates a load of rowdy behaviour, the reality is we will make sure that’s policed in the same way as someone who’s going to have four or five pints in the local pub. This will be an opportunity to get people into the stadiums earlier, potentially keeping them there a little bit longer after the game, and allow them to be adults.

“I come from the world of cricket and it seems crazy that the same person can enjoy a nice cold pint on a hot summer’s day at the cricket but they can’t do that two weeks later at a football stadium.”

The EFL is understood to have been advocating for this change for some time, and Macklin highlighted the potentially huge financial upside to clubs who until recently had been starved of matchday revenue during the coronavirus pandemic.

“We average (attendances of) 5,500. If 1,000 people bought an additional pint at £3.50 you can do the maths. Three and a half thousand pounds, 20-odd times a year, that adds up.”