Chris Boardman, Sport England’s chair is expected to call on Premier League clubs to step up and put themselves on the right side of history when it comes to climate change.
In a keynote speech to the Sport Positive Summit, it is expected that Boardman will question why 10 Premier League clubs flew to the US for pre-season friendlies and Tottenham and Newcastle played a match in Melbourne three days after the final day of season.
The former cyclist, who won Olympic gold, will call on clubs to stop taking short-haul flights, reduce their use of single-use plastic and prioritise lower-carbon meals.
Boardman’s intervention is particularly striking given he chairs a funding body that invests £250m a year in sport – and has given £440m of national lottery and government money to football over the past two decades.
“In the UK, as it is for many other countries, football is our national game,” Boardman will say. “In the Premier League, we have the most popular sports league in the world, with a reach and influence that is unparalleled. But we are seeing wildly inconsistent action.
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“This year, half of the Premier League – 10 clubs – flew to the United States … for friendlies. Manchester United’s pre-season schedule saw them flying almost 13,000 miles to play fixtures in Norway, Scotland, and across the US. Spurs and Newcastle played an exhibition fixture in May – three days after the season finished – for which they both flew to Melbourne, Australia, a game Alan Shearer described as ‘madness’.
“Add in those air miles and both teams will have travelled in excess of 30,000 miles, equivalent to more than once around the globe, to play in non-competitive matches in the closed season.
“I’m a pragmatist, not a moral absolutist,” he will add. “I don’t believe in outright bans on flying, but we all need to strike a much better balance. It is time for all of our top football clubs to step up, and put themselves on the right side of history.”
Boardman will, however, credit Southampton and West Ham for playing games against neighbouring non-league clubs, which “provided much-needed income to make the football pyramid more sustainable, whilst also boosting the local economies”.
He will also cite the “fantastic work” led by the Football Association, as well as efforts by Forest Green Rovers, Bristol City, Watford and Plymouth Argyle. Lewes, who have a community garden, sell recycled kits and have a vegan menu are also praised.
Story was adapted from the Guardian.
