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UK CELEBRATES 'GREEN FOOTBALL WEEKEND' IN BID TO HALT CLIMATE CHANGE

This weekend (3rd-5th February 2023) more than 80 of the UK's biggest football clubs are joining forces with all kinds of organisations in a new national event to harness the power of football in helping combat climate change. From the RSPB, to the Church of England, the Rainforest Trust to sports broadcasters (Sky Sports and BT Sport), the Green Football Weekend aims to create awareness whilst spurring clubs and millions of football fans to act in more sustainable and planet supporting ways.

Whether it's fans or players travelling to matches or simply living their daily lives, the campaign is centred on a weekend of 'Greener Game' football matches and competitive activities to encourage fans and Clubs to reduce carbon and help protect the environment. Fans can pledge or act to 'score green goals' for their Club (which are placed on a leader board in the hope of winning the Green Football Cup) through logging their green activities, such as eating a veggie meal, turning down the heating by a degree, taking a shorter shower, or opting to take public transport, walk or cycle, instead of driving to a match. (Over 65,000 green goals have already been scored by fans in the run up to the weekend). A number of English Football League and Womens Super League Clubs will also be participating by making their fixtures 'greener games' through improvements in on-site recycling, sustainable food offerings and additional initiatives. Middlesbrough have pledged to plant a tree for every goal they score against Blackpool, whilst Wolves are wearing green armbands in their match against Liverpool. Some schools and community groups are running special Green Football Weekend activities and there will also be incentive prize giveaways for fans such as match tickets and signed shirts.

Some of the charities involved are doing some fun things too. The Rainforest Trust UK for example, are calling on football fans to pledge to donate a certain amount for every goal scored in the Premier League and Women's Super League during the Green Football Weekend - as it only costs £1.50 to save an area of the Brazilian Amazon the size of a full-size football pitch (which is about 1.75 acres). The more you pledge and the more goals are scored, the more rainforest you save! Click Here for more information.

Ahead of this weekend, to support and promote the event, the Archbishop of Canterbury's football team (ABC), made up of clergy and ministers from around the Church of England, hosted a 'green' football match against 'Heaven Help Us' , an interfaith community that uses sport to engage. The Archbishop Justin Welby said, "Football is a wonderful way to bring people together around a shared passion and purpose - and there is no greater goal than addressing the climate crisis together. I'll be praying for all the teams taking part in the Green Football Weekend campaign, and praying too that it inspires fans and communities to score plenty of 'green goals' along the way."

A number of football clubs have already been responding to the climate crisis that we are facing, with 'Ecotricity' boss and Forest Green chairman Dale Vince, creating the first all-vegan football club, with plans to develop an all-wooden 5,000 seat stadium. Meanwhile, for the third year running, Tottenham Hotspur has finished top of the Premier League Sustainability Table produced by the UN-backed Sport Positive and published by BBC Sport. It was a founding member of the 10:10 initiative, (cutting10% of their carbon emissions in 2009), has since joined the UN Race to Zero and is a signatory of the UN Sports for Climate Action Framework taking up responsibility to strive towards climate neutrality for a safer planet. Both Tottenham and Liverpool came joint-top of the 2021 Green League - a table measuring the sustainability of all 20 top-flight sides, and Tottenham Hotspur players now travel to matches on coaches powered by biofuel.

Sarah Jacobs, from Green Football Weekend, said: "Climate change affects all of us, and football is showing we can all do something to tackle it, whether you're cycling instead of driving to training, or using a refillable water bottle at a match. Individual action has the power to reduce global carbon emissions by nearly a third."