Several bars across the province are asking the province if they can open their doors extra early during the World Cup next month.
An estimated 715 million people watched Italy win the World Cup back in 2006. This year, the sporting event will be held in South Africa and with the time difference many games will broadcast here very early in the morning.
The Crown and Anchor on Castle Downs Road has applied to the province to open their doors at 8 a.m. to accommodate soccer fans.
"We thought it would be a great idea to have them here first thing in the morning," said Marko Slaney, Crown and Anchor general manager.
And so far, Toronto is doing the same thing. The city's council has voted to extend hours allowing all bars to open early.
But that won't be the case here in Alberta.
The province says it reviews everything on a case-by-case basis.
The Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission has received seven applications to open early, and has approved four -- so far, all are in southern Alberta.
Management at Overtime Broiler & Taproom South is also getting ready for the World Cup.
"We are not encouraging people to get drunk before going to work or skip work, but we do know there are a lot of soccer fans in Edmonton," said the bar's manager Amy McBain.
All bars must offer a full service menu in order to be considered for earlier hours.
The World Cup starts June 11th.
With files from Kevin Armstrong
