Shefford Sports Club among venues to benefit from partnership between E.ON and The FA

Shefford Sports Club serves its local community through football at a number of levels: As home to Shefford Town & Campton FC, which entered the FA Cup for the first time in 2022-23 and made it all the way to the third qualifying round, it’s a platform for the hopes and dreams of local fans; as a venue for Shefford Saints Juniors FC, it’s a training ground for future footballing talent; and as a provider of playing facilities and a clubhouse for all grassroots football in the area, it’s a vital and well-loved resource for the local community. 

We know how important football is to England. Not just to dedicated fans, but to the country’s health, economy, and society. In fact, a report published by The FA titled The Social, Health and Economic Value of Grassroots Football in England has found that Grassroots football contributes £11.8 billion a year to England’s economy, creates £3.2 billion in healthcare savings, and adds £935 million in social value. 

We are always looking for ways of combining our mission to make new energy work with other groups’ efforts to improve people’s lives, and that’s why as part of our partnership with The FA last year we launched the Greener Game. Over the next four years we will be providing significant investment to bring energy audits, clubhouse upgrades, and energy support packs to FA-affiliated grassroots clubs around the country, and Shefford Sports Club is one of the venues we’ve already helped. 

How we helped Shefford Sports Club cut bills and emissions 

As well as being one of the first venues to benefit from the Greener Game, Shefford Sports Club was also the site chosen to launch the programme, receiving a visit from England legend Stuart Pearce (who in his early career was also an electrician) and Former England international and current England U23s coach Anita Asante.  

As part of an audit performed by E.ON’s Control Solutions Team, we identified and recommended a number of measures that could save the club money on energy while cutting their emissions. For Shefford Sports Club,  these included: 

• Replacing floodlights and other light fittings with LEDS 

• Upgrading wall, ceiling, and pipe insulation 

• Installing a solar PV system 

• Installing a solar heating system 

Taken together, we estimate that these measures could reduce the club’s consumption by 50,175kWh, cutting 9.83 tonnes of Co2 emissions and saving £18,533 a year. 

What these savings mean for Shefford Sports Club and the community it serves 

For a venue supporting grassroots football like Shefford Sports Club, an additional £18,533 a year means more investment in facilities, fixtures, equipment, training, education, and, most importantly, in people. 

Taken together, England’s more than 18,000 football clubs and 120,000 teams help people of all backgrounds participate in sport, which in turn has been shown to directly improve physical and mental health, reduce unhealthy behaviours like smoking, boost self-esteem and social connectedness, enhance educational behaviour, attainment, and employability, and strengthen communities. 

A strong, healthy society is ultimately about different individuals and groups working together, each bringing their own skills and expertise. As an energy company invested in a sustainable future, we know what’s needed for venues like Shefford Sports Club to reduce costs and emissions, and together with The FA’s unrivalled knowledge of English grassroots football, we know we can make a difference not just to football clubs, but communities across the country. 

To find out more about the Greener Game, go here.