Today we’re proud to release a powerful short film called Play On: Football's Climate Story, with two key stories from Tadcaster Albion AFC and Brighton And Hove Albion FC, showing how climate change is affecting the beautiful game, and what football is doing about it.

Watch the full film for free here via Waterbear

The world's most popular sport is under threat. Climate change is threatening to disrupt football at all levels - from grassroots right to the top tier. From the plight aof a club at threat, to the actions of another taking a stand, the only way football can carry on is to come together.

by 2050, a quarter of England’s professional clubs could be underwater

The film begins in North Yorkshire where we hear from Tadcaster Albion striker Eddie Church. Eddie reminds us of the findings from FFF Chairman David Goldblatt’s report - Playing Against The Clock - that “by 2050, a quarter of England’s professional clubs could be underwater”. The climate crisis has already delivered several blows to Eddie’s club, as Tadcaster Albion AFC has flooded seven times since 2020.

Andy Charlesworth, Tadcaster Albion AFC Chairman, said:

“Our club has been flooded seven times since 2020, and it’s clear this is as a result of climate change. The sad thing is - we’re not the only ones. Clubs across the country and around the world are also suffering the effects of storms, extreme heat etcetera. If you listen to the scientists, it’s only going to get worse. If we want to play on, we need to keep raising awareness; improve flood defences; and act now to stop climate change from getting worse. Non-league clubs can only do so much.”

Tadcaster Albion AFC has flooded seven times since 2020

Watch the film for free here via Waterbear

The film also takes us to Brighton and Hove Albion F.C., where we meet ex-captain, current first team coach, and all round club legend BRUNO. After putting in the hard yards to help get Brighton up into the Premier League, we’re thrilled to have Bruno helping us spread the word about sustainability in football and announce him as our newest FFF Champion!

In Play On, Bruno takes us on a guided tour through the facilities at Brighton’s AMEX stadium, showing the many changes the club have made so far on their sustainability journey. It’s brilliant to see the Seagulls taking these positive steps, building their awareness of the issues and working towards a more sustainable future.

Speaking about the film, Bruno says:

“It’s important football begins to acknowledge how climate change is going to affect our beautiful game - and that we act now. I am not perfect. My club is not perfect - we know we still have work to do, improving the club’s environmental performance, but we’re very proud of the positive changes we’ve made at Brighton so far, and to have taken part in this short film. In the Premier League, it’s our job to lead the way.”

Watch the film for free here via Waterbear

The film ends with a Call To Action - ask your club what they’re doing to tackle climate change. If the world wants to keep playing the beautiful game, all of football needs to step up and do our bit.

For a handy overview of how to talk to your football club about climate change, please check out this one-page PDF guide. There’s lots of useful information there to help you get started. If you’d like further help, please get in touch. We work with clubs of all sizes on sustainability, from the Premier League (read about our partnership with Wolverhampton Wanderers), to non league. FFF is a non-profit group and we’re happy to chat to anyone about sustainability in football.

Contact us at info@footballforfuture.org

FFF were thrilled to win the Grand Award from the Rescript The Future competition ran by the Aegean Film Festival. The competition offers young storytellers the chance to visualise a better tomorrow and turn it into an aspiring short film to be premiered at the festival, held on the Greek island of Spetses from 7th-17th July 2022.

We’re very grateful to have been paired with the brilliant team at Waterbear Studios to help produce the film. Waterbear is a ground-breaking streaming platform dedicated to the future of our planet, showcasing award-winning documentaries and original content covering topics such as biodiversity, community, climate action and sustainable fashion.

Watch the film for free here via Waterbear

Andrea Walji, Head of WaterBear Studios, said:

“It has been a real pleasure to be working on the Rescript The Future Competition for the second year running. At WaterBear, we love to work with young upcoming creative talents to bring new ideas to life. Barney’s application stood out as we have never explored how football can be a force for good before. As one of the two winners of the competition, Barney had a chance to be assisted in production by our WaterBear production crew and make this short film from start to finish. We are proud to have been given this opportunity to shine a light on how solutions to the climate crisis can be found in the most unexpected of places and we look forward to running this competition again next year.”

Barney Weston, Play On Assistant Producer & Director and Football For Future Director, said:

“It was a real pleasure working with everyone involved on this short film. Awareness of the interrelationship between football and climate change is low, but short, dynamic and powerful content like this can make the difference. It’s extra time, but it’s not too late to score a last minute winner.”