What is Pledgeball?
Pledgeball is a sustainability charity that uses the power of sport to encourage people and organisations to take climate action. We work with fans, fans’ organisations, clubs, leagues, and governing bodies to promote environmental sustainability. The main way we do this is through the Pledgeball League, which gives football fans and players the opportunity to support their club by making eco-friendly pledges. Each pledge is assigned a Carbon Dioxide Equivalent (CO2e) value in kilograms, helping to determine a club’s position in the Pledgeball League. The more fans that pledge, the higher their club will finish. Each season, the club whose fans save the most carbon emissions wins the Pledgeball League.
What is Pledgeball’s impact?
In the 2023/24 season, fans from more than 180 clubs made 144,781 pledges. This figure represents a 38% increase on the 2022/23 season, during which 105,071 pledges were made. Collectively, the 2023/24 pledges saved 62.5749 million kg in carbon emissions — equivalent to removing 13,603 cars from the road. However, Pledgeball’s impact extends beyond the Pledgeball League. The Sustainable Travel Charter, a joint campaign between the Football Supporters’ Association (FSA) and Pledgeball, aims to reduce the environmental footprint of clubs’ travel and has already attracted more than 10 signatories from the EFL. Pledgeball has also partnered with various football and rugby clubs, the Lawn Tennis Association, and International Biathlon Union (IBU) on several groundbreaking projects. In recognition of these efforts, Pledgeball was crowned Grassroots Organisation of the Year at the BBC Green Sports Awards 2024.
Can I make the same pledge more than once?
Yes, you can focus on a specific pledge over a long-term period — it’s an effective approach to take. This will contribute to your team’s scores for the fixture. However, it will only be counted once towards the cumulative score that determines their ranking in the Pledgeball League.
How long do I need to maintain my pledge to achieve the stated CO2e savings?
The CO2e savings are calculated based on maintaining your pledge for one year. For example, if you pledge to eat vegan two days a week, the displayed savings represent the CO2e reduction from eating a vegan diet for 104 days in the year.
Are the emissions (CO2e) savings for each pledge accurate?
The emissions savings figures are intended as guidelines rather than precise measurements. It is impossible to account for all the factors that might influence the carbon savings of any given pledge. For example, if you were to calculate the emissions saved by travelling in an electric vehicle instead of a petrol car, variables such as weather, road condition, mileage, and a range of other factors would all affect the outcome. However, the guideline savings for each pledge are calculated as accurately as possible by experts at the Centre for Sustainable Energy (CSE). As a result, they provide a reliable estimate of the savings you can achieve by making the pledges.
How do you know that people are carrying out the pledges?
We won’t be checking up on you, so there’s no need to worry! That said, we’re confident that Pledgeball works — and we have the evidence to back it up. Research shows that “engagement with Pledgeball makes fans…reevaluate their role in tackling climate change resulting in further engagement with the topic.” Studies also indicate that “fans are more likely to adjust their daily consumption habits in response to their club’s involvement in Pledgeball”. Pledgeball has been found to “increase feelings of individuals’ agency and efficacy”, too, while “individuals who pledged reported having more frequent conversations about climate change.” These findings are reinforced by Professor Lorraine Whitmarsh, MBE, director of the UK Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformation, who observed that “Pledgeball’s approach is rooted in robust social science principles and has already demonstrated significant behaviour change and emissions reductions.”
What is climate change?
Climate change refers to long-term changes to the Earth’s climate, including shifts in weather patterns and temperatures. Today, these changes are mainly caused by human activities, such as burning fossil fuels and deforestation. Climate change can lead to problems like more frequent extreme weather events, rising sea levels, and biodiversity loss. These issues are often referred to as part of the climate crisis. This crisis has a big impact on our everyday lives. For example, more frequent and intense heatwaves, flooding, and storms can disrupt established routines, damage homes, and destroy key infrastructure, while crop failures and water shortages can lead to rising food prices.
What is sustainability?
Sustainability is the principle and practice of using resources responsibly, both locally and globally, to protect them and the environment for current and future generations. For example, in sports, this could involve making stadiums more energy efficient, reducing supply chain waste, and promoting eco-friendly travel options for fans and teams. Sustainability and sustainable practices are seen as key to addressing climate change and the climate crisis.
What do climate change and sustainability have to do with sports?
Climate change affects every part of our lives, including sports. A changing climate makes it more difficult to play, watch, and manage both grassroots and professional sports because sports rely on predictable weather patterns and access to essential resources. Extreme weather events such as flooding can disrupt games, damage facilities and infrastructure, and complicate travel for fans and teams, leading to significant financial costs. Sustainability in sports means addressing these challenges and reducing financial risks by adopting eco-friendly practices, such as using renewable energy, minimising waste, and encouraging sustainable travel.
What is the connection between football and climate change?
Football is already being affected by climate change. For example, heavy rain caused 25 EFL fixtures to be cancelled during the 2015/16 season, with severe weather forcing Carlisle United out of their stadium for seven weeks at an estimated cost of £200,000. In early 2022, storms Dudley, Eunice, and Franklin inflicted significant physical and financial damage on the national game, leading to the postponement of 13 fixtures across the EFL, National League, and Scottish Championship. More recently, in September 2024, AFC Wimbledon’s stadium flooded, leaving the club with no option but to play some home games at alternative venues. Such incidents are becoming increasingly common. A 2020 report found that 23 of the 92 teams in the Premier League and EFL are likely to face partial or total annual flooding of their stadiums by 2050. The situation is even more challenging in grassroots football, where clubs lose an average of five weeks each season to bad weather, and more than one in three lose two to three months. It’s no wonder, then, that a growing number of fans want the football industry to do more to tackle climate change and make the game more sustainable.
Why are sports a good medium to raise awareness about and tackle climate change?
We already have the solutions to address climate change. However, we lack the political and corporate will to implement them quickly enough. Doing so requires a major cultural shift. While that might sound daunting, research shows that it only takes 25% of a population adopting a new social norm — such as prioritising sustainability in decision-making — to bring about such a transformation. Thankfully, more than 80% of people say they are concerned about climate change, and the majority of them are sports fans. What’s more, sports meet many of the key criteria for successful change, including promoting strong feelings of belonging, encouraging community engagement, reaching large, diverse audiences, and inspiring action through positive role models.