Unfortunately however, due to the quantities of energy used keeping your pies hot and your beers cold, keeping the lights on through those dark winter evening matches, and the fuel used to transport players and staff, your club can be responsible for the release of significant quantities of greenhouse gases (GHGs) into the atmosphere.
And the global nature of the modern game has seen emissions rise steadily over recent years. Take travel emissions for a start. Premier League matches are broadcast in over 200 international territories to over 600 million homes, and this global appeal has seen clubs trotting the globe to entertain their ever increasing fan base. In 2012, it was reported that pre-season travel by Premier League clubs totalled a whopping 186,000, encompassing countries from the US to Australia, the Far East to South Africa and everywhere in between.
While the scheme has been shelved for now, the prospect of the 39th Game adding an international fixture to the Premier League season, is still a distinct possibility. The Champions League and Europa League have grown significantly in the last decade and it has recently been announced that the 2020 UEFA Euro Championships will be held at venues across the continent. Football is truly a global game, and while this adds to the spectacle, it also adds millions of tonnes of GHGs annually into the atmosphere.
In recent years, as the political processes attempting to find a solution to climate change have stalled, the call for action has been answered increasingly by the private sector. Football's world governing body FIFA has decided to include environmental protection in future bidding agreements, starting with the FIFA World Cups in 2018 and 2022; with Qatar 2022 aiming to become the first Carbon Neutral World Cup. In recent years FIFA also invested €400,000 in a carbon offsetting project in South Africa and offset the 92,000 tonnes of unavoidable CO2 emissions from the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
This rise in awareness, and the desire to drive change, requires innovative new ways to promote sustainability worldwide. CNI works with a number of high profile clients, such as Formula 1 teams, English Premier League clubs and the land speed record attempt among many others; all of whom are keen to develop their business with resource, and therefore financial, efficiency at the heart, while addressing the stigma attached to their perceived carbon intensive nature, through our complete end-to-end energy and carbon management service.
CNIs' involvement with football clubs comes from a range of methods; from energy auditing and efficiency consultation through to full carbon neutrality. Most importantly, CNIs’ consultancy service can provide financial savings to clubs from day 1; through unique energy management and funding platforms, as they did with Newcastle United in 2012.
Following NUFCs lead
would see the direct reduction and abatement of 100,000s of tonnes of GHGs,
which would have been emitted by football clubs in the UK. Plus, due to the
focus on English football internationally, would uphold the image of the
English Premier League as the best in the world, and will encourage
stakeholders and supporters the world over to follow suit.
Sustainability is
proving a powerful tool for building brand and reputation, while providing
benefits to the wider world, opening up a whole new base of supporters, ready
to push your club to the next level.
And offsetting the
residual emissions would relieve the environmental strain the next time Emmanuel
Adebayor takes a private jet from Togo, Peter Odemwingie makes a late
night dash down the M40, or when Arsenal decide to fly to Norwich.
Let’s hope sustainability
can be the real winner this season.
Written by David Lennox, Consultant at CNI (UK)
Written by David Lennox, Consultant at CNI (UK)
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