FAQ Category: Sports

Climate change affects every part of our lives, including sports. A changing climate makes it more difficult to play, watch, and manage both grassroots and professional sports because sports rely on predictable weather patterns and access to essential resources. Extreme weather events such as flooding can disrupt games, damage facilities and infrastructure, and complicate travel for fans and teams, leading to significant financial costs. Sustainability in sports means addressing these challenges and reducing financial risks by adopting eco-friendly practices, such as using renewable energy, minimising waste, and encouraging sustainable travel.

Football is already being affected by climate change. For example, heavy rain caused 25 EFL fixtures to be cancelled during the 2015/16 season, with severe weather forcing Carlisle United out of their stadium for seven weeks at an estimated cost of £200,000. In early 2022, storms Dudley, Eunice, and Franklin inflicted significant physical and financial damage on the national game, leading to the postponement of 13 fixtures across the EFL, National League, and Scottish Championship. More recently, in September 2024, AFC Wimbledon’s stadium flooded, leaving the club with no option but to play some home games at alternative venues. Such incidents are becoming increasingly common. A 2020 report found that 23 of the 92 teams in the Premier League and EFL are likely to face partial or total annual flooding of their stadiums by 2050. The situation is even more challenging in grassroots football, where clubs lose an average of five weeks each season to bad weather, and more than one in three lose two to three months. It’s no wonder, then, that a growing number of fans want the football industry to do more to tackle climate change and make the game more sustainable.

We already have the solutions to address climate change. However, we lack the political and corporate will to implement them quickly enough. Doing so requires a major cultural shift. While that might sound daunting, research shows that it only takes 25% of a population adopting a new social norm — such as prioritising sustainability in decision-making — to bring about such a transformation. Thankfully, more than 80% of people say they are concerned about climate change, and the majority of them are sports fans. What’s more, sports meet many of the key criteria for successful change, including promoting strong feelings of belonging, encouraging community engagement, reaching large, diverse audiences, and inspiring action through positive role models.