Anita Asante gives inspiring grassroots team talk as part of the Greener Game

Having helped a number of grassroots football clubs including Staveley Miners Welfare Football Club and Shefford Sports Club towards the end of last year, in February we were proud to start rolling out energy support to more eligible clubs as part of our ongoing partnership with The Football Association (The FA): Greener Game. 

Initially launched last November, the partnership between The FA and E.ON Next will see The FA and E.ON Next contribute significant financial investment to English grassroots football over the coming years, as well as using our expertise in the energy sector to provide energy audits, clubhouse upgrades, and self-service kits to help clubs manage their energy costs and continue to be sustainable . 

We know this isn’t just about money, energy, or even football, though. It’s about supporting and inspiring communities, and to that end, we arranged some very special visits to young teams playing for grassroots clubs in England. 

Anita Asante pays young players a surprise visit 

In the first of these special Greener Game club visits, which we filmed for a new short series, Former England International & current England WU23s Coach Anita Asante talked by video link to a team of young girls at Staveley Miners Welfare Football Club. 

In the film, Anita begins by telling the girls on screen about her experiences as a player and 11-time captain for England, and as a coach for Bristol City, explaining she knows a thing or two about getting the best out of players like them. The message then takes an exciting turn for the young team when Anita calls out some of them by name, going on to say she wanted to give the girls a talk to inspire them to victory in their upcoming tour, but every team talk is better in person. The players are delighted to see her then get up from her on-screen seat before joining them in the room at the Staveley Miners Welfare FC clubhouse, delivering an inspirational speech, and leading the evening’s training session. 

Asante offered wise words to her young fans, telling them “try your best, work hard, support each other, and stay positive.” These might be lessons learned on the football field, but they’re applicable elsewhere too. As in our other sustainability partnerships with sports teams like Nottingham Forest, cities like Coventry, and businesses up and down the country, by teaming up with The FA to bring energy upgrades to grassroots football clubs we’re remembering that the road to net zero is a collective effort, doing what we can to make positive change, and working together to make new energy work. 

As members of parliament and councils across the country continue their hard work to help the constituencies and communities they serve, we hope these films will bring attention to the potential of grassroots football for reaching people of all ages and backgrounds, giving support through sport. You can watch Anita Asante’s visit to Staveley Miners Welfare Football Club below.