A huge thanks to Bloomsbury Football for letting us run some workshops at their summer camps, focusing on the relationship between climate change and football. FFF relish the chance to do these workshops as much as we can, getting the next generation of ballers passionate about the climate crisis and the role football has to play in the matter. So a huge shoutout to Bloomsbury for inviting us down.

This was an eye-opening & engaging session that covered the connection between the climate crisis, sustainability, and football. We touched on the impacts flooding and extreme heat have on our beautiful game – including the recent study which found that over 25% of English football stadiums in professional men’s football will experience partial or permanent annual flooding by 2050, rendering them unplayable.

Elliot and Joel also schooled the kids on Football’s own role in the climate crisis – the global football industry has a carbon footprint the size of Denmark! Those half-time pints in plastic cups and driving (and players flying) to games all adds up!

This wasn’t all doom and gloom, we want to flip the script, and these kids want to do the same. We showed them how the planet is in Fergie time, and that even though the conversation around climate and football has just kicked off, football has the potential for mesmeric, fist pumping turnarounds it’s football. Who remembers Moura slotting Spurs into the Champion’s League final with 20 seconds left on the clock? Or big Marcus Rashford a.k.a lil U-turn securing free school meals for those who needed it most? We showed them that the impact it can have on the climate should be no exception.

These kids vowed to take steps to make their lives more sustainable after we taught them; talking about cycling to their football games, grabbing a re-usable water bottle and feeling empowered whilst doing it. They even shouted out Patrick Bamford by doing their best ‘Z’ celebrations.