Sky Sports activities is as soon as once more backing Inexperienced Soccer Weekend because the world’s largest climate-football marketing campaign returns for a second 12 months.
Throughout the weekend of February 2-5, golf equipment will take centre stage as a part of Inexperienced Soccer Weekend, collaborating in greener video games to showcase their sustainability work, participating followers within the problem and saying new, extra bold commitments.
The world’s largest climate-football marketing campaign mobilises followers, golf equipment, leagues and companions to take motion on local weather.
The marketing campaign will concentrate on the ability of veg to assist shield our world; encouraging followers to attempt cooking a veggie meal and dealing with golf equipment and caterers to placed on scrumptious veggie and plant-based meals for matchday followers.
The way forward for soccer is in danger as a result of results of local weather change, with 150,000 video games already cancelled per 12 months because of pitch flooding. By 2050, 1 / 4 of UK soccer grounds can be flooded, with one in 4 groups anticipating partial or complete stadium flooding every year.
Sarah Jacobs, Inexperienced Soccer Weekend director, mentioned: “Inexperienced Soccer Weekend is fan motion at its strongest, and brings golf equipment collectively to take more and more bold motion on local weather.
“Football has incredible power to inspire change and improve lives, and that’s what this campaign is all about.”
Sky Sports activities is as soon as once more backing Inexperienced Soccer Weekend and can use its platform to assist the marketing campaign by means of editorial options and inventive protection.
Sky Sports activities is concerned in Inexperienced Soccer Weekend to lift consciousness of local weather change, and present the small methods soccer followers, and everybody, could make adjustments to their life which may add as much as make a giant distinction.
That is a part of Sky Sports activities and Sky Zero’s ongoing dedication to assist followers take care of the sports activities they love and ensure there’s at all times a spot to play. Sky is dedicated to utilizing its voice to lift consciousness of local weather change and encourage motion.
Gary Hughes, Director of Soccer at Sky Sports activities, mentioned: “It’s a privilege to once again be involved in Green Football Weekend and use the game we all love to help protect our planet.
“At Sky Sports activities, we’re dedicated to serving to followers take care of the sports activities they love and ensure there’s at all times a spot to play. All through the weekend, there can be a bunch of content material geared in direction of inspiring change and showcasing the methods followers could make small adjustments to their way of life with a purpose to sort out local weather change.”
How you can help…
- Climate change is threatening the future of football. Already 150,000 games are cancelled due to flooding, and in 25 years time it’s predicted a quarter of club grounds will flood every year.
- Sky Sports and Sky Zero are part of Green Football Weekend, a national campaign bringing together more than 80 of the UK’s professional football clubs, charity partners, sports broadcasters (Sky Sports and TNT Sports) and millions of fans together to unleash the power of football to tackle climate change.
- This year’s focus is about food and trying a veggie option – whether that’s cooking a veggie meal at home or choosing a veggie burger at a match. What we eat impacts our health and performance; eating more veg helps reduce injuries, improve recovery times, increase circulation; and it helps protect our world.
- From January 18 to February 5, fans can go to greenfootballweekend.com to score green goals for their football club, by pledging to make a green switch or taking a green action. Every green goal fans score will help their club climb up the leader board to help them win the Green Football Cup.
- Trying a veggie option is one way you can score a goal for your club. As part of the campaign, Green Football Weekend are releasing ‘The Green Football Weekend Veggie Cookbook’ which has recipes from players, club nutritionists and chefs. It will be available from 18th Jan at greenfootballweekend.com. Other green goals include actions like switching to sustainable transport, reducing food, or inviting your friends to join in.
- On Green Football Weekend itself [February 2-5] clubs will be taking part in greener games, taking action to reduce carbon pollution. Sky Sports will use its platform to bring Green Football Weekend to life, through editorial features and creative coverage.
- Sky Sports is involved in Green Football Weekend to raise awareness of climate change, and show the small ways football fans, and everyone, can make changes to their lifestyles which can add up to make a big difference. This is part of Sky Sports and Sky Zero’s ongoing commitment to help fans look after the sports they love and make sure there is always a place to play. Sky is committed to using its voice to raise awareness of climate change and inspire action.
Dale Vince: Why I am backing Green Football Weekend
Forest Inexperienced Rovers chairman Dale Vince on why he’s supporting Inexperienced Soccer Weekend:
Once I first received concerned with Forest Inexperienced Rovers it was about to expire of cash. I noticed what it meant to the local people and so I stepped in to make it financially sustainable, as a result of I did not need to see it fold.
I needed to make plenty of adjustments, to align the membership with my environmental ideas and in that I noticed the chance to do one thing a lot greater. It was an opportunity to speak to a wholly new viewers concerning the surroundings. This is able to most positively not be preaching to the choir – and that added to the attraction.
Now Forest Inexperienced Rovers is named the greenest soccer membership on the earth. We have proven there’s one other method to do soccer, however the goal is not to be the exception. Each soccer membership ought to be a inexperienced soccer membership.
That is what Inexperienced Soccer Weekend is all about and that is why I am backing it. Inexperienced Soccer Weekend is a marketing campaign that unleashes the ability of soccer to sort out local weather change, bringing collectively golf equipment, followers and communities to have enjoyable and take motion on local weather.
It is easy – Soccer is a giant cultural drive. It is the most important sport on the earth reaching billions of passionate followers. And soccer followers take discover of what their golf equipment and stars do. If we are able to harness a few of that keenness and level it in direction of the surroundings, we are able to create change on the size wanted – from the grass roots for those who like. I’ve seen it work at FGR the place our followers have embraced the inexperienced agenda of the membership. Soccer followers can simply make adjustments that cut back their very own affect, and soccer is an effective way to speak with them and present them how.
We have now woven sustainability into the DNA of FGR and we created a brand new type of soccer membership – one the place the surroundings and soccer have equal significance – and a brand new type of soccer fan as a consequence.
Final 12 months Inexperienced Soccer Weekend reached over 30 million followers and in February 2024 we’re going even greater, with greater than 80 golf equipment throughout the highest leagues getting concerned. It is pushed by an incredible set of companions together with Sky Sports activities, TNT Sports activities and the Soccer Supporters Affiliation, and is backed by the FA, EFL and WSL.
It is occurring from the 2nd to the fifth of February and the main target is meals. As a result of what we eat issues. It issues for our well being and for the well being of the planet. It is one of many largest and best methods for followers and golf equipment to make a distinction, however there are additionally a great deal of advantages to consuming much less meat and extra veg, from stopping accidents to enhancing restoration occasions. And it tastes nice too – simply ask our followers at FGR the place meals gross sales are one thing like 10 occasions larger than earlier than we went plant based mostly.
We have actually been on a journey with meals at FGR. We have been absolutely vegan since 2014 however we did not do it in a single day. It was a gradual course of and we took our followers with us. It is one many areas the place they’ve embraced one other manner of doing issues.
Now it is in all probability what we’re identified for many and it has been enjoyable. It was at Wembley on the full-time whistle after we had been promoted to the soccer league, that BBC commentator Bob Hunt minted his legendary quote reside on air when he exclaimed, ‘Swindon, Cheltenham, Bristol Rovers, let me inform you this, subsequent season you will be consuming hummus as a result of Forest Inexperienced Rovers are within the Soccer League.’
That was enjoyable and felt like a giant win, given the scepticism and mock on the outset. However the greater wins on this entrance have been when visiting followers like our meals a lot they ask their very own golf equipment to alter the menu. The proof of the pudding for those who like.
I do know it could really feel a bit difficult to some folks, to ponder plant based mostly meals, I’ve seen it – I wish to level out that chips are vegan, it surprises a shocking quantity of individuals. Plant based mostly meals is sort of regular.
However whereas golf equipment and their followers could make an enormous distinction, we will not depart it to them alone. We’d like the federal government to do their bit too. That is why we’re is asking for the brand new unbiased soccer regulator to be liable for environmental sustainability in addition to monetary sustainability. Each of those points are important to soccer and we will not correctly have one with out the opposite.
Together with the entire of the Inexperienced Britain Group, I am backing Inexperienced Soccer Weekend.
So, come February 2nd, while you be part of me on the terraces, take into consideration what you are consuming and the way you are able to do your bit for the planet. And if all else fails, simply get some chips.