After being named the English Premier League’s greenest club in January 2021 following a study carried out by the UN-backed Sport Positive Summit, Premier League football club, Tottenham Hotspur, has announced that the world’s first net-zero carbon major football match will be played in its 62,850-capacity stadium in London, when the club hosts city rivals and current European Champions, Chelsea FC, on Sunday, 19th September 2021.
The match will take place six weeks before the United Nations’ COP26 Climate Change Conference, which is being hosted by the United Kingdom and Glasgow and will bring together international leaders to accelerate global action to combat climate change.
The goal of the competition, dubbed #GameZero, is to minimise all direct emissions to the absolute minimum. The Club hopes to raise awareness of the problem of climate change and inspire football fans to decrease their carbon footprint in conjunction with Sky Sports and the UK government. Fans will be encouraged to do the following to help reach this goal:
- Use Public Transport: The stadium is to be served by four train stations and a free matchday shuttle bus.
- Cycle to the match: The club has provided about 180 bikes for fans to cycle to the match.
- Choose a Plant-based Food Option: All food to be served on that day will be locally and sustainably sourced.
- Recycle Waste: The Club has a ‘zero to landfill’ waste management programme, with clear recycling instructions for fans on its bins.
Both teams will travel to the game by coach to limit the amount of car movements, with both sets of players taking a biofuel-powered coach to the stadium. On the day of the game, both sides will drink water from cartons given by Spurs rather than plastic bottles.
The Chairman of Tottenham Hotspur, Daniel Levy, said: “We are delighted to be the chosen partner of Sky on this ground-breaking initiative that will demonstrate the role our game can play in addressing the urgent issue of climate change.”
“As the Premier League’s greenest club, Tottenham Hotspur is passionate about our planet – we look forward to showcasing our wide range of sustainable measures that are already in place and encouraging our fans to take simple actions that can make a huge difference.”
The Managing Director of Sky Sports, Jonathan Licht, said: “We’re proud to be working with COP26 and Tottenham Hotspur to make #GameZero the world’s first net zero carbon football match at the elite level. We hope that by using the power of sport, we can inspire and support football fans to make simple changes to reduce their carbon footprint and make more climate-friendly choices.”
COP26 President-Designate, Alok Sharma, said: “Climate change affects every aspect of our lives, including the sports that we love to watch and play. We can all take steps to help protect the planet for future generations, including in major sporting events. That is why I am delighted COP26 is working with Sky, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and the Premier League to show how football is going One Step Greener by hosting the world’s first major net zero football match.”