We Asked Our Fans About Climate. Here’s What They Said - By Tiff Sornpao
This piece was written by Thailand International and Vitória de Guimarães playerTiff Sornpao as part of the Climate Champions Community – a player-led initiative supported by Football for Future and Common Goal.
This past season, as I started learning more about sustainability, I joined the Climate Champions Community with Football for Future and Common Goal. It was a bit of a leap, as I didn’t know what to expect or what I could really contribute, but I knew I wanted to understand how football and climate action could connect.
Being part of the Champions Community gave me space to be curious and explore. None of us needed to be. We were also able to connect with other players and build a community we could learn from, including returning Champions who had already taken part in activations in this space. It felt good to be part of something bigger, especially as a new Champion this year.
One of the workshops that was particularly engaging was all about understanding impact. Discussions and a talk from guest speaker Preeti Shetty led us to become not only interested in driving change but also how we can measure it. It was from this line of thinking that the survey was born.
At the time, I was working on a social media project, but I then joined Ben and Merrick, who were developing the fan survey. The idea was simple: what if we tried to understand what football fans already think, feel, and know about climate change? That kind of insight could be valuable, not just as data, but also a foundation to shape smarter, more strategic action. It could also help us bring other players and clubs into the conversation, by making the case for engaging on climate by showing what the fans want and expect.
The survey gave us a way to move beyond assumptions, and start backing up the case with real answers.
What we learned from the process
One of the biggest takeaways wasn’t just the data, but how we got it. The first time I posted the survey, I just dropped the link in my story with a bit of context. It didn’t really land. But when I reposted it and spoke directly to my communities - Thai national team fans, Brøndby fans, Premier League fans - the engagement jumped.
That taught me something important: it’s not enough to share a link. If you want people to care, you have to call on them where they are and reach to your communities, in their teams, their cultures, their football spaces, and show how it connects to them. This also shows how powerful football and its communities can be as a way to communicate and engage on this topic.
We also leaned on other members of the climate community. Merrick’s team, Wolverhampton, even got the survey into a matchday programme. It was so eye-opening to see fans from countries I hadn’t even considered before talking about how climate change was affecting football.We had fans reaching out about all kinds of weather impacts - from frozen pitches to extreme heat. The response was amazing, and a lot of the countries and weather issues mentioned weren’t even on my radar before. It was really insightful.
So, what did the fans say?
62% believe climate change already significantly impacts football
72.5% have had matches disrupted by extreme weather — flooding, storms, frozen pitches, even extreme heat
84.5% want to hear about this from clubs
66.9% want to hear from us, the players
83.8% would join a sustainability fan group if one existed
That last one stood out. So many fans said they’d want to be part of something. But the comments also made it clear - they weren’t sure how to start, or whether it would even matter. The numbers clearly show how much interest and potential is out there, but also how big the gap still is, especially as most clubs aren’t acting on this topic. A lot of fans didn’t even know if their club had any sustainability initiatives, or couldn’t name one.
What this means for us as players
The results are clear - the fans are ready, and they’re interested. But they need someone to go first. And I think that someone can be us.
From my own experiences at clubs across different countries, I haven’t seen much in terms of sustainability leadership. In Denmark, for example, there’s some cultural awareness about waste separation and sustainable habits, but I’ve never seen a club initiative that was really driving change around the sport. Most teams don’t have departments or campaigns around this - at least none that I was aware of. That’s where we come in.
We can take this feedback and do something with it. Using these numbers we can show up in our communities, talk to our clubs, and say “This is what the fans said. This is what they want. Let’s do something about it.”
You don’t have to be an expert. I’m not. But just being visible, speaking casually and consistently, helps. And, clearly, it matters when it comes from players and our clubs.
Think about the Club World Cup in the U.S. - players speaking up about the heat made headlines. Suddenly, mainstream outlets were talking about something many of us have experienced for years. I grew up in Atlanta, I’ve played in that heat and it’s getting worse. But until a big name says it publicly, it’s often not taken seriously. This is why we need more voices.
We’ve learned a lot this season through the Climate Champions Community and from this survey, especially how different regions have very different levels of awareness and action. In some countries, there’s barely any education or engagement around climate and sport. That’s a gap we can help close.
Over to us. Over to you.
To players and clubs: The fans are ready. They want to hear from you. Don’t be afraid to speak up.
To fans: Thank you - for your support, your voices, and your time. You’ve made it clear what matters to you, and we’re going to do our best to make sure your voices are heard at every level of the game.
This survey was just the beginning. Now it’s over to us, as players and clubs, to keep the conversation going and the action growing.