News article
Fans unite for Green Football Weekend
Green Football Weekend brought sustainability to the fore up and down the UK, with 95 clubs participating in the campaign in its second year.
The weekend saw Women’s Super League (WSL) club Chelsea flip its menu to offer mostly plant-based options, while Jessie Fleming, Niamh Charles and Connor Gallagher of the men’s side joined children in school partaking in a Green Football Weekend lesson.
Elsewhere, the Premier League’s Crystal Palace switched up plastic beer cups for paper; former World Champion triathlete Kate Strong cycled over 135 miles from Forest Green Rovers to League Two opponent Colchester United to deliver the matchday ball; and Championship club Bristol City used environmentally friendly lights for its home game against Leeds United at Ashton Gate stadium.
Queens Park Rangers recently joined the Sustainable Travel Charter from the Pledgeball charity, which means the Championship club has committed to travelling more sustainably, while fans were treated to 50% off veggie and vegan food during Green Football Weekend. Fellow Championship side Watford launched a sustainability platform, with League One’s Wycombe Wanderers following suit.
Exeter City in League One offered free tea and coffee to fans that travelled by public transport to the match that weekend, while also offering a veggie hospitality menu.
Championship clubs including Southampton, Blackburn Rovers, Bristol City and Leeds, as well as League One’s Derby and Portsmouth, all wore green armbands to demonstrate support for tackling climate change, while Walsall opted to wear its green third kit instead of the usual away kit.
Scottish Premiership club Dundee United also announced that it had become the first side in Scotland to partner with Pledgeball. As part of the collaboration, Dundee United is hosting an inaugural Pledgeball match in March against Arbroath. Fans will have the chance to win prizes for participating in sustainable activities.
Green Football Weekend is powered by green electricity provider Ecotricity in partnership with Devils Kitchen, Ministry of Eco-Education, Little Green Devils, Forest Green Rovers and more. It is supported by the English Football League (EFL), the WSL, the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) and the FA.