The FA partners with E.ON Next to invest in sport and society through energy upgrades

Grassroots sport in the UK has many benefits: It gives those who take part a chance to exercise and maintain their health; it brings communities together through a common passion, opportunities to volunteer for something people care about, and a source of shared pride; and, as important as anything else, it’s fun. 

These are in themselves good enough reasons for us to want to back UK sport at the Grassroots level, but it’s also worth considering the wider impacts it can have. The briefing for a House of Lords debate earlier this year provides compelling evidence for sport’s wider contributions, noting that participation directly improves physical and mental health, reduces other unhealthy behaviours like smoking, boosts self-esteem and social connectedness, enhances educational behaviour, attainment, and employability, reduces reoffending among convicted criminals, and strengthens communities across identity lines. 

And this is to say nothing of the economic benefits. The Department for Culture, Media, and Sport has estimated that the sport sector supported 550,000 jobs and contributed £18.1 billion to the UK economy in 2022, with additional research suggesting that sport saves an extra £9.5 billion through preventing serious physical and mental health conditions. A separate report from 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 the UK economy, creates £3.2 billion in healthcare savings, and adds £935 million in social value. 

In short, sport’s contributions to life and society in the UK can hardly be overestimated, and one sport in particular enjoys more than twice the participation of any other: football. 

Using our energy expertise to support grassroots football 

From Saturday morning training to the World Cup finals, we see how much football means to people of all ages, genders, and backgrounds, and how much it brings to the UK. 

That’s why, using our expertise in energy, we wanted to give something back to the beautiful game, giving Grassroots clubs the tools to thrive while taking a more active role in the national effort towards net zero. Launched November 19th, with Greener Game in partnership with The FA we’ve embarked on a multi-year programme and will be contributing significant investment to provide clubs with energy audits, club house upgrades, and self service kits to help them save money and reduce their emissions. 

By installing solutions at eligible clubs such as solar PV and battery storage, and identifying improvements around insulation, heating, maintenance, and usage, we could help save clubs  significant amounts on their energy costs. In fact, for one of the first clubs we’ve worked with as part of the programme – the Staveley Miners Welfare Football Club in Derbyshire – we’ve identified potential annual energy savings of 34,281kWh a year. That amounts to a potential £8,913 yearly reduction in their bills, and a 7.03-ton reduction in Co2 emissions. 

Investing in sport is investing in the future of Grassroots football 

In addition to regular fixtures, Staveley Miners Welfare Football Club already serves 500 young people and their families each week while providing training and education to the wider community. 

An extra £8,913 a year means more money to invest in the club and reach out to the people of Derbyshire, which in turn means more kids and adults with a healthy, sociable, and productive outlet, more people from different backgrounds coming together with a common purpose, and more of the wide-ranging health, social, and economic benefits that grassroots sport brings to the whole of the UK. 

Our current level of support and partnership with the F.A. will allow us to help many clubs like Staveley, connecting with communities across the country while working towards our net zero goal of helping ensure no region is left behind in the energy transition. There are over 18,000 clubs with 120,000 teams in the UK, and we hope to continue this work and help more of them in future. 

The Sport Industry Research Centre at Sheffield Hallam University has estimated that the combined economic and social value of taking part in community sport in 2017/18 amounted to £4 of return for every £1 spent. That's why, in our view, investment in sport through energy is money well spent. 

For more information about the Greener Game partnership, go here.