Round-up #12
The Dalai Lama, managers running for cover, a Messi delay, and much more
This newsletter goes out on the day Benzema's Al-Ittihad travel to play Al-Raed in Buraidah, Saudi Arabia. The local temperature at kick-off could be 40°C. What is the impact of heat on footballers? In the latest Raith Rovers programme Dr Leslie Mabon writes about water breaks in Inverness in November? How to prepare players for extreme heat. More articles like this in the match-day programmes of all clubs please!
Flying into controversy
The Athletic looks at why Wrexham flying to matches is causing controversy. It includes an interview with an expert in sports medicine who says there is “no hard research” that shows taking a flight is better than a coach for players.
This is in line with a previous BBC article from 2021 quoting another expert saying “there probably isn't any firm evidence either way" and another from 2022, where Swindon Town’s Head of Sustainability says “We're assuming plane travel is optimising for performance, but I haven't seen any clear studies that have shown that". The packed fixture list and player fatigue are recurrent themes in these articles too (see ‘more games’ below).
Elsewhere, FIFA boss Infantino’s World Cup private jet-setting has included visiting Tahiti, Cook Islands, Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga, Vanuatu and Fiji. The article says this travel “calls into question FIFA’s own climate pledges to minimise emissions”. One additional point - many of the places he visited are among the most vulnerable to climate change, though no mention of this appears to have been made during the visits.
More games
As part of its continuing Future of Football series Sky has taken an in-depth look at the increasing number of games in the football calendar. Separately, in a post that has received 18.4m views, Raphaël Varane has raised concerns about longer games and an overcrowded schedule ….“there are too many games, the schedule is overcrowded, and it’s at a dangerous level for players physical and mental well-being”.
While neither Sky’s article nor Varane’s comments touch on the environmental sustainability of these extra games, shouldn’t this issue be brought into the picture in all scheduling discussions too? More games mean more travel for players and fans, and more emissions. No environmental impact assessment has been published for these extra new games that are coming at a time when we need big emissions cuts.
Player perspectives
Two great reads:
The conflict of being an elite footballer and caring about the environment
Héctor Bellerín Returns To Betis, Ready To Fight For Club And Community
Club action
"Only a quarter (26.6%) agreed their club was doing enough to cut down on the climate change impact of their activities", says the National Supporters’ Survey by the Football Supporters’ Association.
Clubs taking action in the last fortnight include:
Wycombe Wanderers engaging with stakeholders to gauge their opinions around sustainability and help shape their strategy
Nottingham Forest Chairman, Nicholas Randall, talking about the sustainability audit the club has done and the next steps with it.
Coventry City have announced a number of sustainability initiatives at their stadium. Wolves Foundation are donating a brand-new girls’ football kit made from recycled plastic to a primary school. Watford have been taking action to mark the UN International Youth Day theme of Green Skills.
Partners
Clubs announcing sustainability-related partnerships include Fulham working with Gridserve as an electric vehicle partner, and Charlton teaming up with Wearebrandnew as a shirt sponsor. Elsewhere, Sports Interactive, creators of Football Manager 2023 are partnering with Pledgeball to support their Women’s World Cup campaign.
Barclays has used the start of the Premier League season to draw attention to it being the league’s official banking partner. This comes soon after several international stars launched a campaign calling on the Wimbledon Tennis championships to end Barclay’s sponsorship of the tournament over the bank's extensive support for fossil fuel projects.
Merchandise
Manchester academics tackle “hidden problem” of textile waste in the football industry
How Sports Partnerships Are Making Fashion’s Waste Problem Worse. A key insight here is that “There is no official data on the amount of apparel produced for teams and athletes each season, or how much of it ends up in a landfill.”
Stadiums
The Sky Future of Football series has also taken a look at stadium developments including a podcast with experts looking at sustainability. Separately, in the US, the Green Sports Alliance has released a Play to Zero Playbook: Building for the Next Generation
Elsewhere
Welcome to Action FC - “A community of women's football fans dedicated to fighting against climate change”.
Job Opportunity: Football for Future are hiring a Project Manager. And congratulations to the FFF team for being a Green Changemaker Challenge winner.
A podcast from the Green Sports Blog discusses encouraging football fans to make behavioural changes to reduce emissions.
An interesting new academic study suggests "It is crucial for governments and football institutions to collaborate in creating regulatory frameworks that incentivize football companies to integrate sustainability practices into their operations and decision-making processes".
The 2023/24 Premier League Handbook has been issued. It’s over 700 pages long and - as far as I could see - says nothing on environmental issues, save one mention in relation to broadcasters’ power supply for matches. It’s now nearly two years since the Premier League announced it would publish an environmental sustainability strategy.
Extreme Weather
Around the world:
Matchweek 1 of the Iranian Persian Gulf Pro-League was cancelled due to severe heat across the country
Summer rain in England led to a number of games being postponed last week including Colchester United vs Swindon, 30 minutes before kick-off.
Three Premier League managers run for cover as trees uprooted in fierce Washington storm.
Also in the US, Lionel Messi fans were made to wait as Inter Miami’s Leagues Cup clash was delayed due to heavy rain. Other games that faced postponements included Philadelphia Union vs. Red Bulls and Club León vs Real Salt Lake (picture below)
Picture from Real Salt Lake
That’s me over and out. Did you find any gems in there? I hope so. As ever, please send any suggestions for the next round-up and corrections to this round-up. And I’m always keen to hear about suggestions for guest posts and topics to cover in-depth. Until the next time …
Fran James (he/him)
Football and Climate Change Newsletter
footballandclimatechange@gmail.com
@fbandclimate