Women’s Football and Climate Change

The Players’ Perspective: A New Report

My name is Amy James-Turner, I play centre half for Tottenham Hotspur Women in The WSL. I also recently founded Two Sides Grind, a mobile coffee campervan, with my wife, Welsh International Angharad James.

I've been on a journey in understanding climate issues. As I take it in, I try to stay positive, though along the way there have been lonely times. This made me think: Am I really alone in this, or do other people feel the same, just we don't talk about it?

As footballers it is drilled into us, all that matters is the next game, don't think too far ahead, focus on the here and now. I sympathise with players, we have a lot going on and we sacrifice a lot to be at the level we're at. The pressures of the professional game doesn't leave much room to consider the world outside us. But what if climate conversations became part of the dressing room?

I wanted to know how my teammates and friends in the professional game felt about climate change. What are we doing about it? How do they see the efforts of their clubs, the football industry ... and most importantly what more could be done?

With the help of the guys at Planet League, I had a series of interviews with players and managers currently active in leading clubs. We also ran a survey of women professional players. We got an incredible 113 responses during January 2024, all from women professionals from 36 different clubs.

What did we find out? You can read the qualitative and quantitative evidence in the new report launched today and available here. 

What’s clear to me is my fellow players are not just concerned — they are ready and eager to push for meaningful action. This isn’t about external pressures; this is a call from within the game, from those who live and breathe football.

The interviews also triggered something important beyond the immediate findings. They showed that by talking about this space and being present, we open the door to possibility. It showed that lots of people do care and are concerned, even if we don't always show it. And maybe we all need a bit of guidance and support as we navigate the challenges that lie ahead.

It’s given me perspective, and made me confident that people do want to be part of making change for the good. It’s made me and my fellow professional footballers more confident about speaking out. I hope lots more people will join us.

Amy

Women’s Football and Climate Change: A Players’ Perspective
A Planet League Report
By Amy James-Turner, James Atkins, Tom Gribbin