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Soccer organisations in the UK will face increasing pressure to reduce their environmental impact as a younger generation of fans takes action on sustainability, according to a survey from carbon accounting company Carbon Responsible.
Confirmed:
- 64 per cent of fans over 55 said they would take no action if their club performed poorly on sustainability and social responsibility, but only 12 per cent of Gen Z fans and 15 per cent of millennial fans said the same
- Among younger fans (aged 16 to 24), popular options for taking action include attending fewer matches, spending less money on soccer-related activities and purchases, and joining an online campaign to push for sustainability improvements
- 66 per cent of respondents think more work should be done to improve sustainability in soccer
- 65 per cent think clubs could make it easier for fans to behave sustainably
- 64 per cent believe more focus should be on the sustainability credentials of club owners and sponsors
- 67 per cent think soccer governing bodies should consider the climate impact of player travel when designing the fixture schedule
- When it comes to specific changes, the youngest fans prioritise long-term net zero goals and older fans strongly favour short-term improvements like reducing plastic consumption
Context:
The survey highlights a generational divide on climate concerns among UK soccer fans, with the vast majority of millennial and Gen Z supporters saying they would take action if their club fell short on sustainability.
While Carbon Responsible notes that sustainability has been steadily rising up the agenda for soccer clubs and tournaments in the last few years, with Uefa using five per cent of its Euro 2024 budget to tackle greenhouse gas emissions and six of the 20 Premier League clubs setting net zero targets, the company added that fans are not yet satisfied with environmental efforts in the sport.
Comment:
“A new generation of sports fans are more informed and more demanding on sustainability than ever before,” said Matt Paver, chief operating officer at Carbon Responsible.
“Football clubs can’t afford to fall behind their peers on net zero now that fans are paying attention to a club’s sustainability credentials and factoring this into their decisions about buying match tickets and merchandise or even whether to stop supporting a club entirely.
“This younger generation of environmentally conscious fans will represent an increasing proportion of the fanbase over the next decade, becoming more influential with greater purchasing power. Our research shows they are already putting their money where their mouths are.”
Coming next:
The survey showed that while younger fans are twice as likely to care about the environmental impact of sport compared to over 55s, they are less likely to demand that soccer clubs reach net zero in the next ten years. This suggests that Gen Z and millennial fans prefer to see soccer organisations commit to realistic emissions reductions rather than publicise ambitious, unachievable targets.
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