Extensions, questions, mainstreaming and more

Round-up #27

Mar 06, 2024

Hello again! There are loads of new developments to be going on with, from grassroots level to elite, from around the world to close by. Before we dip into those, let’s start with a question …

Fran

Question: What steps would you like to see your club take this calendar year to address climate change?

Click this link to provide your views. Responses are anonymous, and all types of responses are welcome - short or long, wide-ranging or issue-focussed, strategic or practical - by Friday 15th March. I’ll then summarise and report back here. There’s no need to name your team, but feel free to do so if you wish.

Thanks to the anonymous reader who suggested this question, and you can also use the link to suggest future questions.

This is the third reader question in the newsletter. A summary of responses to the last question: ‘What would a green future for football look like 10 years from now?’ is at the end of this newsletter here.

Guest posts

There is now a new ‘guest post’ section in the newsletter where you can find all the posts in one place. Many thanks to all those who have contributed them so far. What a line-up!

If you have an idea for a guest post - for instance, a real-life story, a different perspective, an upcoming announcement, a big idea, new research, or an update on ongoing work - and want to use this newsletter platform to get the message out, then get in contact!

Coming up

This newsletter goes out as UEFA is about to launch its new Carbon Footprint Calculator. Keep an eye out for that, and a future newsletter post will take a look at it. If you have any insights or expertise to share on it, please drop me a line.

Separately, it’s annual accounts season for organisations. So expect to see more emissions reporting from some clubs in their accounts. I’ll also take a look at those here, along with a catch-up of those already out.

Extensions

“The disappointment for me is the welfare of the players [is not being considered] … they're pipe fitters, they work on the roads, they're scaffolders, they work in factories, they've got lots and lots of hard work to do before they say I'm gonna go and play football.”

BBC Newcastle’s Paul Dixon on the impact on grassroots football of fixture congestion caused by extreme weather.

Last week, the EBAC Northern League leagues in steps 5 and 6 of the English football pyramid wrote to The Football Association requesting an extension to their seasons. This was due to concerns about their ability to complete fixtures in the allocated time due to a backlog caused by extreme weather.

Recent extreme weather has been causing widespread postponements across grassroots football in England. For instance, the South West Peninsula Football League had their statistically worst weekend for games called off, two weeks in a row.

The FA’s decision not to grant the extension request was met with an outpouring of comments on social media with people suggesting several contributing reasons to the situation, lots of negative impacts from the FA decision, and many suggested ways forward.

This is not the first time in recent years that the FA has had to consider an extension due to extreme weather, but it does appear to be becoming more regular. Extensions were granted in 2023, 2018, and 2013, but at a later point in the year.

Rather than sticking plaster solutions of extending the season at the last moment, and with extreme weather set to become more frequent, isn’t an alternative approach that addresses the root issues and impacts needed?

To chart a long-term path forward, The FA (or perhaps the Government?) could consider undertaking a full review of the impact of extreme weather on grassroots football. If you have any alternative suggestions of next steps, then please say!

More extremes

In Uzbekistan, a game in the U20 Women's Asian Cup went ahead in crazy snowy conditions. As the writer notes: “there are no specific rules within the current Laws of the Game … that specify when a pitch is deemed unplayable due to adverse weather conditions”. Separately, there also appears to be no maximum temperature at which a game is to be postponed. As extreme weather becomes more common, aren’t these areas that urgently need clarification?
In the US, the Los Angeles FC coach said it was an ‘absolute disgrace’ for their MLS game to go ahead in a snowstorm. The game came just days after LAFC had signed a new partnership with oil and gas giant, Chevron.
Three EFL League One games were postponed. Fans only found out that Bradford vs Notts County was being called off just 1 hour before kick-off.
Youth football is being badly affected too. For instance, Brixton-based St.Matthew’s Project has seen four weekends lost already this year to the weather.

On the buses

Manchester City FC are trialling a large-scale bus network to help fans travel to and from their stadium on matchdays. Talking City podcast have taken a trip on the bus and interviewed fans about their views. It will be interesting to see what the data shows on changes to fan travel behaviour and impacts on travel emissions.

In other news

80 German amateur clubs have been selected to receive €2.3m from EURO 2024 climate fund. Good to see, and will UEFA now adapt and apply the Climate Fund model to all its club competitions too?
13 NGOs across Europe have asked their national football teams to commit to travelling sustainably for EURO 2024. You can read the letters to the England Team and Italian Team through the same link too.
The Good Football Trend Report 2024 includes a big trend on sustainability: “Ready or not, being green is imperative”.
Have a go at this interactive work in L'Équipe: Sport in 2050 and its transformations linked to global warming
A very useful legal perspective: "Increasing Risks of Climate Litigation and Controversy to Sports Organisations"
Bohemians FC have teamed up with Friends of the Earth to help “level the playing field” for people to access climate solutions. Full report here. Key points to note include “Cultural Institutions imbued with trust can be game changers”.
“3 countries, 48 teams, 104 matches: can the 2026 World Cup be ecological?” from Radio Canada

Initiatives

In Australia, new ‘Green Games’ are being introduced to the A-League following player-driven efforts. The plans include offsetting unavoidable emissions. Separately, but sort of related, read Carbon Market Watch on A positive development for carbon credits.
The European think-tank, Sport and Citizenship, has launched Planet Ball, working with 8 partners from 7 European countries to strengthen the role of sport in the fight against climate change among young people.

Flying

How Leeds will tackle five games and 2,000 miles in 15 days. Spoiler: It involves a lot of flying.
“At the heart of this problem is the fact that many interests have to be served and the planet is not a priority … Let's hope that someone from within will speak out frankly and take some initiative” says James Atkins of Planet League on the issue.

Players

Lionel Messi is supporting an initiative to help conserve The Paraná River which goes through his hometown, working with Join The Planet.
A Football for Future Q&A with David Wheeler, Wycombe Wanderers footballer, and sustainability champion for the Professional Footballers Association.

Leicester

Is there a surge in interest to make football a more sustainable sport?. More from Dr.Mark Charlton of De Montfort University, Leicester, who wrote a guest post here, including on more fascinating upcoming work.
Leicester Nirvana FC: Leading the Charge Towards Net Zero in Grassroots Football, by another previous guest contributor, Ivan Liburd, the club’s SDC Champion.

Speakers

Podcast: Katie Cross of Pledgeball and Helen Taylor formerly of Forest Green Rovers on Green Football Weekend and the challenges of sustainability in soccer.
Pledgeball also hosted an event in London on ‘Fan Engagement on Climate Change and Sustainability’ with a great line-up of speakers. More to follow on that.
This evening, at UCL in London: Barney Weston of Football For Future, speaking at a free event on what environmentally sustainable football can look like.

Other

Udinese’s stadium will have 2,400 solar panels meaning “If a match is played in the afternoon in the sunniest months, energy consumption can be completely self-sufficient.” Udinese’s stadium is a candidate location for EURO 2032 matches.
New Manchester United shareholder and INEOS owner, Jim Ratcliffe has been in the press on climate-related issues. Client Earth and several NGOs are taking a legal stand against his company's efforts to build Europe’s biggest petrochemical plant project in 30 years. It has been given £600m backing by the UK.

Mainstreaming

The newsletter will take an occasional look at whether the environment is on the agenda at major football and sports conferences, and also whether major environmental conferences have football or sports on their agenda. To start with:

There was no place on the agenda for environmental sustainability at the recent major FT Business of Football Summit.
The International Sports Convention at Tottenham Hotspur’s Stadium on 20-21 March will include a session on Sports and Sustainability.
The Innovation Zero Conference in London on 30th April - 1st May will include a session on ‘Sport As A Catalyst for Environmental Change’ with Amy Turner of Spurs.
The International Olympic Committee has been granted the status of observer organisation to future UN COP climate talks.

Do you know of other major football or climate events coming up? Drop me a line!

Your views

I recently asked a second open reader question: What would a green future for football look like 10 years from now?

A big thanks to everyone who responded. As with the responses to the first question, it led to a lot of thoughtful and varied insights.

I’ve aimed to include all the feedback, editing down and grouping themes as I see them. My bad if I’ve made mistakes or chopped off key points along the way and drop me a line if so.

It was not intended as a representative sample of views, but I hope the range of perspectives provides food for thought and challenge. The responses suggest that there are plenty of ideas out there. Further work to understand and harness them could help inform the changes clearly needed. So, in no particular order, here goes …

Team travel. In 10 years “All teams must use ground transport if it is viable to arrive by train or coach”, said one. While another said, “Flights would only be allowed for those matches that absolutely require it”. Going further, one suggested that “flights to domestic games [would be] outlawed by the governing authorities”. Another, looking at broader developments said “Domestic games shouldn't require flights - investment in high speed rail would help”.
Fan travel. One respondent suggested “Better green transport [would be] included in ticket price for large international games”. Another said there would be “More elite level clubs willing to provide ground transport to European fixtures and all domestic matches are scheduled so that people can take the train or bus home, rather than drive”. Another respondent, also making the link to scheduling, suggested “easy use of public transport (& bikes) linked to sensible, fan friendly KO times”.
Strategies. 10 years from now clubs will have “implemented comprehensive sustainability strategies, including actions” said one respondent, with another saying “Carbon audits would be done annually at all professional clubs by an independent third party. Any clubs that are over the specified limit would be fined or docked points”.
Distances. One respondent suggested there would be “international tournaments being scheduled/planned to shorten distances that need to be travelled”. Another suggested, “Football is more regionalised and localised, leading to shorter journey times to away games and making ground transport the best option over air travel”.
In more detail, one respondent suggested “The World Cup and European Championships are still held regularly, but in four or five cities that are within 200 miles of each other, rather than in multiple countries spanning thousands of miles of (air) travel”.
Another said that, in practice, this would mean a reduced calendar while a different respondent expected “eliminating games (think pre-season tours, supercups and league cups), and/or this could mean block scheduling of games by geographic locations”. A separate respondent also said that “As in the olden days, the odd club might do an international tour, but gone are the days of 48 club international tournaments.”
Co-benefits. One respondent noted that adjustments to the calendar would “put the health of players and planet first”. Another, adopting a perspective 10 years from now said that: “Changes made have been a godsend for footballers, the worrying trend of injuries has been reversed and as top managers have been saying for a while now, the quality of football seems to be getting better. Managers have more time to innovate tactically.”
Food. Vegetarian and vegan options would be the standard in all stadiums according to two respondents. Another said that “veggie food available to fans with minimum waste, free water available in and around the stadium, no food or beverage sold in containers that cannot be recycled”.
Kit. One respondent said that kit “will be sustainably sourced [and there will be an] end to a new kit every season. Another said “Player kits would be reused for multiple seasons” which would reduce “incredible amounts of waste and can be done at all levels of the game”. Another suggested that, it will also be possible to recycle a wide variety of stuff, including old kit, at the stadium when visiting for a match.
Stadiums. One said, that “New stadiums [will be] more sustainably built”, another pointed to “their choice of power supplier, maintenance of the pitches (at the stadium & training grounds), recycling at the ground for fans to use”. Yet another said “fertilizers would no longer be permitted for pitch maintenance”.
Sponsorship. One respondent said the game will be “free from fossil fuel sponsorship” while another said football will “Divest from fossil fuels” and there will be “no more oil and gas sponsorships”. Another also said there would be “vastly less commercialisation” while another said “With the reduced prominence of tv and sponsorship, football clubs are having to reengage with other key stakeholders - fans and communities.
Community. One respondent said that in 10 years time “professional football clubs would work with their local municipalities to help green the area. This could mean planting trees, creating parks, rewilding fields, planting community gardens, etc. Picking up on a similar theme another said in 10 years time “Clubs are rebuilding their role as trusted institutions in their local areas and as a result fans show-up not just for matchdays but for other leisure pursuits, such as the grassroots game which is seeing a new resurgence.” Another suggested that there be “For fans - club supported green deals for fans on energy, for example”
Three very different visions. One respondent said “Perhaps there’s just one massive megadrome – a few miles round, something like on the Truman Show – where a small number of elite footballers play matches on perfect pristine grass pitches … Or perhaps it’s all just imagery generated by AI … In this unalloyed world, your team always wins. Who needs real football?”
Separately, one respondent said succinctly: “I do not think football industry will change a lot in 10 years.”
Yet another response said in 10 years “football has been democratised. Forward thinking leaders have listened to the increasingly loud noises from fans and members of the community. With less 'elite' action fans and communities have been rallying around their local teams and womens teams in the rest of the footballing pyramid. There is a dawning realisation that football is entertaining and enjoyable no matter if you're watching Messi or Mike the part-time pro.”
Different challenges. Finally, one respondent noted that “It is hard to generalize … and each community faces unique challenges” while another suggested that clubs from the Global North and Uefa will be taking more measures than those in the Global South who not have made the same CO2 contribution.

That’s plenty to be going on with, and for further future thinking do check out the 2050 Sport and Global Warming interactive article in L'Équipe.

Is that everything? Have I missed something important? Or misunderstood something? Are there ways to do this newsletter differently? All comments, corrections and feedback are welcome. See you next time!

Fran James (he/him)
Football and Climate Change Newsletter
footballandclimatechange@gmail.com
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Football and Climate Change Newsletter