WSL Football’s League Cup Final

The collaboration between WSL Football and Pledgeball created a scalable blueprint for how clubs and leagues can engage their fans on climate around fixtures. Launched at the 2025 Subway Women’s League Cup Final in Derby, the campaign demonstrated how a major sporting event—often linked with high travel, energy use, and waste—can instead drive sustainable change.

Operationally, the campaign delivered firsts: Derby County FC eliminated single-use plastic bottles, introduced lower-carbon food options, and produced its first-ever carbon footprint report, giving WSL Football a baseline for future fixtures. These actions were communicated to fans and framed wider activations at the Final: the walk from station to stadium became an interactive journey, volunteers ran challenges and conversations, and supporters participated through low-carbon meals, recycling, and reusable cups.

"I attended the Women's Subway league cup final yesterday and, as a Chelsea fan, was not only very happy with the result, but also to see the Pledgeball team spreading the word!...I have been a big supporter of what you do for a few years as a football fan, sports lover and climate advocate. It is great to hear the impact you are having....thank you again for keeping us football fans on the ball when it comes to saving the planet!"

The impact was measurable and lasting. Pledgeball delivered climate engagement training to WSL Football staff, curated player-led videos and created influencer campaigns, which reached over 70,000 fans. Pledgeball also garnered insights from fans, with surveys revealing 97% of supporters believe clubs should address climate change, which will be used to directly shape WSL Football’s future strategy.

By combining leadership-led measures with fan participation, the initiative set a precedent for how clubs and leagues can use their platforms to engage audiences on climate.