The executive committee of the German Football League (DFL) has recommended that clubs in the top two divisions set an individual energy saving target of 15 to 20% during the 2022-23 season.
The DFL said that Bundesliga and 2. Bundesliga clubs are already dedicating themselves to the initiative, which is designed to tackle the current energy crisis in Germany.
Clubs’ individual conditions will be considered due to the ownership structure surrounding stadiums and the different types of energy used. The DFL will hold regular joint meetings with clubs to give them the chance to exchange best practices with one another.
The move comes after Lega Serie A, the organising body of the top division of Italian club football, last week revealed its plans to aid efforts to tackle the energy crisis.
One of the initiatives announced was restricting stadium lighting across Serie A venues to a maximum of four hours of use per game.
In addition, for matches starting between 12.30pm and 6pm, the time necessary to calibrate the equipment necessary to support video assistant referees (VAR) and goal-line technology (GLT) will be reduced from 90 minutes to 60 minutes before a game. In this way, the Lega claims Serie A stadia will have a reduction in lighting time of about 25%.
The Lega, together with Andrea Cardinaletti, Serie A’s new consultant for infrastructure, will also be responsible for identifying the best solutions for energy efficiency in the stadiums, such as switching to LEDs for all systems or installation of photovoltaic panels, as well as optimising the heating consumption of the venues ahead of the winter.
