The Forest Green Rovers Blueprint: Making Sustainability Normal

Perhaps no one embodies this ethos more than Dale Vince, owner of Forest Green Rovers, dubbed the world’s greenest football club. In a candid interview, Vince described how football became an “incredible platform to influence the way people see the world”⁶ He explained that the club didn’t preach; they simply acted on their beliefs, and the fans “picked up the agenda” organically. “Somebody almost always will say to me, this club has changed my life,” he shared. The key, he argued, is making green alternatives “better than the current version”, ensuring sustainability is about living a “better life,” not one of denial. Initiatives like “Football on Prescription,” which offers free tickets via local GPs to combat social isolation, perfectly illustrate this blend of social and environmental purpose.

Celebrating the Changemakers

This spirit of innovative action was the focal point of the Sport Positive Awards 2025.

A huge story was the success of Irish sport, with two major wins. Munster Rugby won “Report of the Year”. For Laura Lahiff, Sustainability Lead at Munster Rugby, the win was a deeply personal achievement. “I poured a lot of myself, my learnings, my creativity and my love for Munster into this report,” she shared, adding that seeing it “recognised on a global stage means a lot”. They were joined by Ulster GAA, whose “Sporting Nature Project” won the Biodiversity category, a project that has already created over 5,000m² of wildflower meadows and planted more than 1,000 native trees. As Lahiff proudly noted, it was “not bad going for a small island with a big heart (and big ambition) when it comes to sustainability”.

The awards highlighted a diverse range of winners, all united by a commitment to using sport as a platform for environmental stewardship. The power of collaboration was a recurring theme, with two separate awards for “Purpose-led Partnership.” kitround and Visa won for their “Declutter and Do Good” campaign, which turned surplus football kit into access and action. Thomas Matthews of kitround described seeing their name “up there amongst giants of the sporting world” as a feeling he was “in no rush to forget”.

Oscar Negroni of Ocean Conservancy, who won the non-profit partnership award with GOAL, declared, “Protect Where We Play is built on smart and effective partnerships”. The “Community Initiative of the Year” went to Cricket for Climate, whose CEO Joanne Bowen, captured the collective spirit: “This is our collective award, and we’re buzzing on behalf of all of you!”.

The International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS), received the Inspired Innovation award for its free-to-use Calculator that helps event organisers reduce emissions from the planning stage which Susanna Sieff, Sustainability Director at FIS, called receiving the award an “incredibly meaningful moment”, while David Stubbs, was honoured with the Leadership award for his instrumental role in driving positive change, in the sector for over 30 years.

Other winners included:

• Education and Training: Kicking For Nature by Jadir Taekwondo Association
• Campaign of the Year: Sin Azul No Hay Verde: Real Betis Balompié
• Next Generation Trailblazer: Logan Waddle
• Research of the Year: Integrity and Sustainability in Sport: Business, Environmental and Social Goals
• Transformation: Liverpool FC: The Red Way

Joy, Urgency, and a Clarion Call for Action

While celebrating progress, the summit didn’t shy away from the stark reality of the climate crisis. A powerful message from Dr Madeleine Orr of the University of Toronto put the stakes in clear terms: “For every 4434 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent a human life is lost”. This sense of urgency fuelled the collaborative spirit, creating an atmosphere of shared responsibility.

Reflecting on the recent Women’s Rugby World Cup, Sally Horrocks of World Rugby spoke of the “overwhelming feeling of joy” from the tournament and the power of “intentional planning” but left the audience with a clear directive that resonated with the room: “Action is everything”. It was a direct affirmation of what the UN’s Lindita Xhaferi-Salihu warned against: “We don’t need silent leadership”.

As the summit drew to a close, the feeling was not one of being overwhelmed by the challenge, but of being energised by the community. It was about turning up, sharing solutions, and, as Claire Poole perfectly captured in her closing remarks “We don’t know what the future holds, but there is always hope”.