Drinks company logos will be banned from appearing on replica shirts from January 1 2008, following recommendations made in industry body the Portman Group's latest consultation on codes of practice, concerning the negative impact of children wearing kit endorsed by alcohol brands.
The decision will affect a host of Premiership football teams, including: Liverpool, sponsored by Carlsberg; Everton, endorsed by Chang Beer; and Scottish Premier League rivals Glasgow Rangers and Celtic, which each have Carling on their livery.
Other clubs to be affected include rugby union side Wasps, sponsored by Magners cider, and a host of county cricket teams, including Essex, which is endorsed by Shepherd Neame.
The Portman Group said the decision had been made with cooperation from teams sponsored by drinks firms, but conceded there was "no evidence" linking underage drinking to alcohol endorsements on sports shirts.
David Poley, chief executive of the Portman Group, said: "There is no evidence to link this marketing with underage drinking. Even so, drinks companies are concerned about the negative perception caused by their logos appearing on children's shirts."
Poley added that alcohol awareness groups were concerned about replica kits being used as "walking billboards for alcohol", and that the drinks industry would be taking the lead "even though this decision may lessen their commercial appeal."
The Portman Group, which regulates all issues to do with socially responsible drinking, lists Barcardi-Martini, Carlsberg UK, Diageo, Inbev UK and Scottish Newcastle among its members.