Football is a beloved sport worldwide, known for its exceptional combination of skill, teamwork, and strategy. However, this sport's activities, events, and infrastructure contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions, energy consumption, waste generation, and water depletion. This article highlights how climate change and football are interconnected, leading to a call to action for sustainable football practices.
From transportation to energy usage and stadium construction, every aspect of football has an environmental footprint. Synthetic turf and football equipment also add to this footprint, contributing significantly to global warming, ecosystem harm, and depletion of natural ecosystems.
According to research carried out by Dosumu in 2017, the total greenhouse gas emissions of spectators across tiers 3–10 of the English league structure in the 2012/13 season was 56,237 tonnes of CO2 equivalent (CO2e), or less than 0.05% of transport emissions in England, and these tiers/leagues are not the most watched.
Each of the twenty English Premier League clubs generates an average of 56.7 tonnes CO2e per season due to travel. In general, it is estimated that the global football industry produces more than 30 million tonnes of carbon dioxide every year, which is about the same size as the total emissions of Denmark.
Premiere league sustainability ranking table (2022). Source sportpositiveleagues
Percentage of Carbon emmission of fans by mode of travel across the football tiers in England. Source nature.com
One significant impact of climate change on football is the increasing frequency of extreme weather conditions influencing dangerous playing conditions. Heavy rain and storms disrupts schedules, tournament flow, affect player safety, and decreases fan attendance. Other long-term effects lead to rising sea levels and coastal erosion, destroying infrastructure, and relocations. Changing weather patterns also affect the availability of water resources needed to maintain pitch quality and ensure optimal playing conditions.
Furthermore, rising temperatures are already changing playing conditions, affecting player performance and overall dynamics of the game. Air pollution also contributes to respiratory problems for players and fans, while extreme weather conditions put players at risk of heat-related illnesses and dehydration.
Some actions to mitigate and adapt to climate change in the football industry are in place, such as sustainable stadium designs and renewable energy use, ppromotion of green transport solutions for players and fans, public transport, and the reduction of waste and recycling programs. Match rescheduling is also a growing practice due to extreme weather conditions, and players and staff are trained to cope with extreme heat.
Football associations, clubs, and players' unions have implemented joint climate action initiatives, such as integrating green initiatives into sponsorships and developing eco-friendly merchandise. One of such include Liverpool’s “The Red Way” initiatives by offsetting CO2 emissions through tree planting and engaging fans in recycling projects. With this initiative, Liverpool FC have already offset 435 tonnes of CO2 by planting trees in Northwest England.
The club also runs a recycling project aimed at re-purposing 500,000 plastic bottles into Mr. Muscle packaging, engaging their fans in this green initiative.
Another example is Real Madrid wearing a green kit against Espanyol to advocate for climate change and promoting a green culture. Also, FC Barcelona’s players chose the railway over a private jet when traveling to a recent match against Getafe CF which plays on the outskirts of Spanish capital, Madrid. It was the first time the club’s male team rode the rails to a game. They did so to reduce their impact on global warming.
Real Madrid team wearing a green kit against Espanyol (2019) to raise Climate Change Awareness
FC Bayern receiving an Environmental Award as Reusable Champions for implementing reusable plastic cups in the stadium
It is crucial to encourage fans, players, and clubs to take climate action and promote sustainable football. Football must focus on the climate-positive impact in all operations and leverage it global relevance as a tool to promote climate action.
A concerted effort is needed from the football and sporting community to reduce the impact of football on climate change and implement sustainable football practices.
In conclusion, sustainability in football is no longer an option but a necessity. Climate change and football are interconnected, and immediate action is needed. Promoting sustainable football practices is essential to ensure the longevity of this beautiful game and the planet for generations to come.
References
A. T. Kearney (2018), Reducing football's carbon footprint
James, R, (2021), Climate Change and Sport Implementations for Football, London, Routledge
Hodge, K, Allen, J. B. and Smelure L. (2018), The Impact of Weather Conditions on Soccer Performance. International Journal of Sports Physiology and Performance
Dosumu, A., Colbeck, I. & Bragg, R. (2017), Greenhouse gas emissions as a result of spectators travelling to football in England. Sci Rep 7, 6986
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-06141-y/figures/1
https://www.sportpositiveleagues.com/pl-2022/
https://fcbayern.com/en/news/2018/08/environmental-award-for-fc-bayern-munich
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