Nets, Footprints and Football

It was interesting to read the headlines about Spurs v Chelsea being touted as the first elite level, Net-zero football match. Some of the statement is smoke & mirrors, because if you consider the sunk environmental cost in building a new stadium with steel & concrete, Tottenham have a very long way to meet the merits of Forest Green Rovers (a club close to my heart)… but it’s a start.

That said, many more multiples of grassroots clubs play the game than those do at a professional level, which would have an even greater impact on the health of the planet… so it’s is everyone that needs to make differences rather than just the elite. At White Roding 45s, we have tried to do our bit for the past couple of years.

We have cooked more plant-based meals, using more organic ingredients and served up in paper bowls…

Carried out work on the pitch to improve is performance and resistance to heavy downpours and lengthier dry periods… (Grass pitches are much better than astroturf for the environment, but requires upkeep)

Due To CoVid measures, we use recycled and recyclable bottles for half-time drinks instead of our previously-used PET-free receptacles…

We use plant-based laundry products…

We’ve held team yoga sessions in a carbon-neutral studio with cork blocks, organic belts and environmentally-friendly mats…

Shared lifts to football matches and looking to travel to our upcoming VFA match in Surrey by public transport…

Recycle the (copious) beer bottles from our well-attended post-match hospitality…

Replaced energy-inefficient appliances and lights in the club house with lower-consumption models…

Re-purposing equipment to deliver new life into fresh facilities for all - our outgoing goalposts will be refurbished and used for community use…

We are far from perfect, have yet to find a very sustainable (and affordable) kit supplier, ideally making shirts from bamboo and much more besides… but we are trying.

Trying is the minimum expectation on a football pitch and we believe that should be mirrored off it as well. Everything we do leaves a footprint, whether that be in wet winter mud or on the planet. It’s a team effort and we can all do our bit and do more.

I would encourage everyone to read https://susfootball.com/net-zero-football-club/ follow Donnachadh McCarthy‘s advice on how to live a more sustainable life or understand what Dale Vince has done at Forest Green Rovers and making your own changes for the better.