The English Football League (EFL) has today (Monday) launched a new green venture to support clubs in their environmental practices and operations.
The EFL has teamed up with GreenCode, a new environmental accreditation scheme born from the work of environmentalist Dale Vince, owner of League Two team Forest Green Rovers, which has been recognised by the United Nations and FIFA as the world’s “greenest” football club.
The EFL Green Clubs initiative will aim to share expertise across all 72 members and will include an accreditation scheme that will benchmark clubs’ environmental rating. The scheme will also provide bespoke guidance and practical advice to help clubs implement change across a range of areas.
The EFL will provide funding to enable any club to access the scheme and will also undertake a GreenCode assessment to help improve its own environmental practice. Participating clubs will receive an independent assessment of their environmental credentials with a ‘GC Mark’ having been set as the goal to achieve.
Clubs at the start of their environmental improvement journey will be supported by the GreenCode Improvement Plan. The EFL Trust will also be putting in place a sustainable development coordinator and the League will encourage club community organisations to do likewise.
Vince said: “GreenCode distils everything we’ve learned from a decade of greening up Forest Green Rovers – and creating the global standard in sustainability. We’re here to help anybody on the road to net zero – that’s what GreenCode is for.
“We’re excited to get this initiative off the ground and the icing on the cake for us is to be launching with our very own league, the EFL. By embracing sustainability as an issue and a collective responsibility serves as a perfect example to others.”
EFL chief executive Trevor Birch added: “Climate change is one of the biggest challenges facing mankind today and therefore it is vitally important that the EFL and its clubs take steps to improve and minimise our environmental impact.
“Professional football will not be immune to the effects of the climate crisis and there has never been a more important time for the EFL and its clubs to make a collective commitment in this area.
“A number of our clubs are already taking practical steps to become more sustainable and using the expertise of the global leader in our ranks, we hope EFL Green Clubs will provide an opportunity for every club in our competition to continue, enhance or begin their journey to a more sustainable future.”
Image: EFL
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