The Football Supporters’ Association take action to tackle climate change by partnering with Pledgeball, a research-driven organisation that rallies football fans to bring about change to help to preserve our planet.
Each match day, whilst teams compete on the pitch, fans compete off the pitch by making sustainable lifestyle pledges to support their team: the team that pledges to save the most carbon emissions wins that fixture and the cumulative amount they pledge to save determines their place within the Pledgeball League.
The numbers alone give football fans significant potential to make change, and then there’s the wide reach, the passion, the drive and the stubborn hope that mean that football fans really could be the drivers of change:
- If just one person from each of the 500,000 affiliate and associate FSA members simply reduced their thermostat to 19 degrees, the amount of carbon emissions saved is equal to taking over 32,000 cars off the road
- 500,000 people simply switching to using a reusable cup equates to taking over 12,000 cars off the road
Then there’s the unmeasurable impact as the message filters out into each fan’s own area of influence, at work, at home and on the pitch, as well as the pressure applied to clubs, businesses and governments.
The partnership will see the FSA utilising their extensive network of associate and affiliate supporters organisations to advocate for Pledgeball amongst their members, with Pledgeball supporting this process with resources and training.
This announcement comes amid a backdrop of actions and support already demonstrated by members of the FSA: at the 2019 AGM, Pompey Supporters’ Trust raised a motion around Environmental Sustainability; earlier this year, following on from their Sustainable Stadium Campaign, Huddersfield Town Supporters’ Association partnered with Pledgeball and in the recent AGM Wolves 1877 Trust proposed a motion on Sustainability.
Katie Cross, Founder of Pledgeball, said “We have already seen the powerful influence of fans on matters from the ESL to anti-racism. The football fan community is unparalleled in its potential to drive change: the impact this community could have on the biggest challenge we have ever faced, one that will affect all that we care about from families to football, is huge.
I am delighted to be working with the FSA and its members to drive this change.”
The FSA’s Ashley Brown said “Supporters groups across the country can all play a part in by speaking to their clubs and supporting the FSA at a national level as we engage the FA, Premier League and EFL, to encourage them to strive for Net Zero Carbon emissions and increase transport options for fans.
We look forward to developing those new campaign areas and working with Pledgeball to help rollout more localised initiatives across the country via the FSA’s affiliated supporter groups.”
