February 20, 2024

Hector Bellerin at Real Betis (FREE KICKS Partner): Championing sustainability and tackling social issues

Real Betis Balompie player Hector Bellerin takes daily steps to combat climate change, setting an example of environmental consciousness within football. He actively makes decisions that encourage sustainability and consider environmental impact.

Through their Forever Green initiative and participation in the project such as FREE KICKS, Real Betis Balompie demonstrates their high level of commitment to creating a more sustainable football industry by reducing their environmental impact and implementing climate-conscious behaviours.

“From all the big clubs, especially here in Spain, Betis is setting an example and I am very proud of the work the club has in place and how it influences and promotes this kind of behaviour with its fanbase.” – Hector Bellerin

Read the full article here.

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*Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or EACEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

 

February 15, 2024

FREE KICKS Partners Appear on The Climate of Sport: Ask Me Anything Podcast

15th February 2024, London: When it comes to environmental sustainability, where should clubs start? That is the question the tis answered in Episode 2 of The Climate of Sport: Ask Me Anything podcast series. Claire Poole explores how sports clubs can get started on their sustainability journey, from data collection to understand where impacts are, leadership buy-in, removing the barriers to taking action, garnering support internally and externally and more.

The episode, which was recorded during the 3rd Committee Meeting of the FREE KICKS project in Sevilla on 12-13 February, includes insights from project partners Tiberio Daddi of Scuola Superior Sant’Anna and Magdalena Nour of Malmö FF. Their insights reflected both learnings from the FREE KICKS project, and the benefit of partnering to take action. The episode encourages listeners on how to get started on environmental sustainability, prioritising operational efforts and good governance.

To listen to the episode, click the link below or search ‘The Climate of Sport’wherever you get your podcasts. Don’t forget to click ‘follow’ to get every episode straight to your playlist: www.sportpositive.org/podcast

February 13, 2024

Partners Convene in Sevilla For 3rd Steering Committee Meeting

13th February 2024, Sevilla: FREE KICKS partners convened for the 3rd Steering Committee meeting over the past 2 days at Real Betis Fundaćion in Sevilla; with Project Co-ordinator Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, Communications and Dissemination Partner Sport Positive and football partners Real Betis Balompie, FC Porto, Malmö FF and Romanian Football Federation joining in person, and Racing Club joining remotely from Argentina.

The session focussed on the Life Cycle Analysis’ collected from football clubs, and planned communication and dissemination, assessment of the state-of-the-art of the environmental governance of supply chain, defining topics and dates to upcoming webinar and training series among others.

Partners were able to visit to the new Rafael Gordillo Training Centre, for a sustainability tour – taking in efforts such as rainwater collection and treatment, the all-electric onsite vehicles, grass training pitches, LED floodlights controlled by Building Management System, water dispensers to encourage reusables and more. 

The FREE KICKS project is co-funded by the European Union* and coordinated by the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies (SSSA). Project partners; FC Porto, Fundación Real Betis Balompie, Malmö FF, Racing Club, Romanian Football Federation, European Club Association (ECA) and Sport Positive, will address the topics of circular economy and environmental sustainability in football organisations.

*Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or EACEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

December 1, 2023

FREE KICKS Project Uncovers Current Situation of Environmental Governance in Football Supply Chain

Researchers of Sant’Anna School of advanced Studies (SSSA) have found that the management of suppliers of goods and services involved in the organisation of football events, and in the management of football infrastructure, is indeed linked with the majority of the football organisations’ indirect environmental impacts.

As part of the FREE KICKS project,  several interviews have been conduced by SSSA to understand the current situation of the environmental governance and management of the football supply chain. The FREE KICKS project aims to understand the level of awareness that organisations in football supply chains have on sustainability, and to identify ways to ‘green’ them.

To achieve these objectives, first the researchers designed a specific protocol and interviewed the procurement departments of sport project partners: Malmo FF, Real Betis, Racing Club, FC Porto and Romanian Football Federation (FRF). A total of 7 interviews with specialists working in the clubs’ procurement departments were completed in October 2023. Some preliminary results related to the assessment of the ‘state-of-the-art’ of the football supply chain of sport organisations were presented to the FREE KICKS Consortium during a Steering Committee in London in October 2023.

The researchers examined the environmental policy/strategy of the organisations in relation to procurement, suppliers’ selection processes and requirements, the existence of an environmental assessment of suppliers, the existence of monitoring processes and the involvement of procurement department employees in sustainability-related trainings, etc. For example, some partners already mention some sustainability criteria in their requests for price offers or include environmental clauses in the contracts for some services.

Following these first interviews, in November 2023 SSSA started interviewing football organisations’ external contractors, in order to gain a broader understanding of the dynamics and environmental impact of the supply chain. In particular, three types of contractors were identified for each  football organisation: the suppliers of food andcatering services, cleaning services and turf maintenance. These are key services for football organisations that have an impact on the environment. Three protocols were designed for each service and a total of 12 contractors were identified with the help of each football organisation.

The interviews included both general questions for all contractors as well as specific questions for the three different services. For instance; general questions covered whether environmental sustainability is a topic of discussion within the company, if sustainability strategies and policies or environmental certifications are in place, the involvement of top management and employees in sustainability-related trainings, and more. Additional questions included, for example; the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides or sustainable products for the management of the turf, the provision of vegetarian meal options or the use of environmentally-friendly and biodegradable cleaning products. The interviews are still ongoing and more contractors will be interviewed in the month of December.

Effective environmental management of these supply chains can decrease the overall environmental footprint of football organisations. Once the assessment of the baseline scenario is completed, SSSA will identify the environmental governance needs and improvement opportunities for each sport partner which will help tailor greener governance and operational practices.

These improvement opportunities will focus on the governance of sports organisations’ supply chains, offering guidance on enhancing the management of procurement aspects and engaging contractors to work for environmental sustainability through a systematic approach.

Examples of improvement opportunities that could emerge from the study are: definition of specific sustainability procurement policies (as part of club’s sustainability strategy), definition of environmental criteria for supplier selection and sustainability criteria (uniformly applied to all suppliers), organisation of environmental trainings for staff dealing with the supply chains, implementation of monitoring procedures for suppliers, etc.

These findings and improvements will help not just FREE KICKS partners, but all sports organisations looking to reduce their impact on the environment.

SSSA plans to conclude all interviews by the beginning of January 2024. A detailed report with the results and recommendations will be published on FREE KICKS’ website by April 2024. All FREE KICKS’s outputs are public, so that any football and sport organisation can access their contents.

To keep updated on the outcomes of these audits and the FREE KICKS project, sign up to our newsletter now: https://www.free-kicks.eu/contact/

 

November 30, 2023

FREE KICKS Project Completes First Football Environmental Audits

As part of the first phase of the FREE KICKS project, leader Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies (SSSA) has been carrying out an ‘environmental needs analysis’ of the participating football organisations, that includes an assessment of the of sustainability needs and identification of environmental priorities.

Some FREE KICKS football organisations are committed to achieving the EMAS certification with the help of the project. In this context, researchers of SSSA carried out three on-site visits to FREE KICKS clubs, in addition to the first one already completed at Racing’s stadium and facilities in Argentina. Specifically, researchers carried out one environmental management system audit and two environmental normative compliance audits.

On 18^th September, researchers verified Porto FC environmental procedures and its 2022/2023 environmental statement to assure their compliance to EMAS requirements. Then on 26^th October, normative environmental compliance was verified for Real Betis Balompié in Spain. The audit included the environmental aspects related to the stadium Benito Villamarìn and the training centers Rafael Gordillo and Luiz del Sol. A similar audit was carried out for Malmo FC in Sweden on 22^nd November, assessing Malmo’s stadium and organisation environmental legal compliance.

These environmental assessments will support the next steps of the project, such as the design and implementation of specific environmental improvement plans, and support the implementation and adoption of EU tools such as EMAS, ECOLABEL and environmental best practices and measures.

To keep updated on the outcomes of these audits and the FREE KICKS project, sign up to our newsletter now: https://www.free-kicks.eu/contact/

 

October 23, 2023

Malmö Player Oscar Lewicki Takes Action As Part of FREE KICKS

Malmö FF midfielder, Oscar Lewicki, thanks all of those who sorted rubbish at Eleda Stadium yesterday as shown in these videos on X/Twitter and Facebook.

#EUFREEKICKS

*Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or EACEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

 

October 5, 2023

Partners Convene For 2nd Steering Committee Meeting

5th October, London: FREE KICKS partners convened for the 2nd Steering Committee meeting today at the Kia Oval in London; with Project Co-ordinator Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, Communications and Dissemination Partner Sport Positive and football partners Real Betis Balompie, FC Porto, Malmö FF and European Club Association (ECA) joining in person, and Racing Club joining remotely from Argentina.

Taking advantage of the travel already undertaken to attend or speak at Sport Positive Summit 2023 at iconic cricket ground The Kia Oval in London, partners made good progress during the one day meeting, covering off many topics such as sharing updates on the environmental KPIs data collected from football clubs, assessment of the state-of-the-art of the environmental governance of supply chain, defining topics and approaches to upcoming webinar and training series among others.

Partners enjoyed a plant-based working lunch and made key decisions on project next steps and upcoming calls to action.

The FREE KICKS project is co-funded by the European Union* and coordinated by the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies (SSSA). Project partners; FC Porto, Fundación Real Betis Balompie, Malmö FF, Racing Club, Romanian Football Federation, European Club Association (ECA) and Sport Positive, will address the topics of circular economy and environmental sustainability in football organisations.

*Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or EACEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

October 4, 2023

FREE KICKS Share Updates at Sport Positive Summit 2023

4th October 2023, London: FREE KICKS partners Real Betis Balompie, FC Porto, Malmö FF and Co-ordinating Partner Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, have this week been in attendance at the Sport Positive Summit 2023, in collaboration with UN Climate and International Olympic Committee on 3-4 October at the Kia Oval in London. Whilst in attendance, partners shared information about the FREE KICKS project with global colleagues, and representing the FREE KICKS project on stage was Siri Wallenius, Head of International Relations at Malmö FF. Over 500 people attended the Summit, with many more joining online; reaching a total audience of over 600 global football and sports leaders from clubs, teams, governing bodies, federations, associations, leagues, UN bodies, athletes and local and national Governements with a remit on advancing environmental sustainability at their organisations and beyond.

Ms Wallenius joined the well-attended ‘Sustainable Transformation Through Operations’ panel session on the first day of the Summit, and alongside Richmond Football Club, Oslo Bislett Games and Veolia UK over the one hour session shared leadership on their sustainable transformation through their operational footprint. Sharing information about Malmö FF’s work, and speaking extensively on the FREE KICKS project, Ms Wallenius’ contributions led to many questions and discussion points.

The FREE KICKS project is co-funded by the European Union* and coordinated by the Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies (SSSA). Project partners; FC Porto, Fundación Real Betis Balompie, Malmö FF, Racing Club, Romanian Football Federation, European Club Association (ECA) and Sport Positive, will address the topics of circular economy and environmental sustainability in football organisations.

Taking advantage of many already partners being in London for the 2023 Sport Positive Summit, the project’s 2nd Steering Committee meeting was convened on 5th October, the day after the Summit.

*Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or EACEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.

September 13, 2023

FREE KICKS Begins Work to Improve Environmental Governance of Football Supply Chain

13 September, Pisa: Over 6 months have passed since the start of the FREE KICKS project. This period has been focused on the assessment phase of the environmental governance and management of the participating football organisations: Racing Club, Porto FC, Malmo FC, Real Betis Balompié and the Romanian Football Federation.

One of the key activities that is currently being conducted is the assessment of the environmental governance of their supply chains, to identify the environmental priorities of football organisations. Professional football organisations and clubs have a strong “indirect” environmental impact, from their collaboration with suppliers of goods and services that are needed in the organization of football events and in the management football infrastructures.

The assessment is being conducted by Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies (SSSA), project leader, and it relies on two methods:

1. The first step of this assessment is to conduct an organisational analysis through a desk analysis of current management approaches of the supply chain: FREE KICKS partners provided documentation related to the supply chain structure, procedures and functioning to SSSA, to perform a preliminary mapping of existing actors and environmentally salient operations or processes connected to the management of the supply chain.
2. The second step of the assessment involves researchers from Sant’Anna conducting semi-structured interviewswith the procurement departments of the five sport organisations in the FREE KICKS project and with some of their contractors.

Interviews have been conducted with the purchasing department of Racing Club and will be conducted with the other partners during the month of September.

Once the state-of-the-art of the level of environmental management governance of the supply chain in the participating football organizations – i.e. the baseline scenario in terms of environmental governance capabilities and environmental impacts – has been defined, the project will identify the environmental governance needs and improvement opportunities for each sport partner, in order to inform the development of environmental governance tools.  Green governance and operational practices will be tailored for each participating football organization and included in their own ‘Environmental Improvement Plan.’

The final aim of this activity is to improve the environmental governance of the football supply chain in the participating football organizations.

The results will be detailed in a specific report that will be uploaded on the project website. This report will be open and available to any other sport organization interested in undertaking environmental improvement actions of their supply chain, thus promoting replicability and cross-fertilization.

June 14, 2023

Watch FREE KICKS Project Video Now

❓ Did you know no football organisation has yet pursued the adoption of EU environmental management tools, such as Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) or EU Ecolabel?

⚽️ The FREE KICKS* Project is looking to change that, with the uptake of leading-edge environmental management practices and supporting climate-conscious and environment-friendly behavioural patterns among football organisations

📢 The learnings of this project will be disseminated over the next couple of years for all sports to learn from, to support increased adoption.

👀 Check out the *new video* launched today, outlining this work, being led by Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna and with partners Malmö FF, FC Porto, Real Betis Balompié, Racing Club, European Club Association (ECA) and Romanian Football Federation.

 

#EUFreeKicks

*Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or EACEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.