Women’s Euros 2025 - Hoping for success on and off the pitch
The 2025 UEFA Women’s Euros are well underway in Switzerland, with the Lionesses through to the knockout stage and looking to defend their 2022 title. It is set to be a record-breaking event with over 600,000 tickets sold to fans from over 100 nationalities, highlighting the ever-growing popularity of the women’s game.
It is vital that the organisers of large-scale sporting events such as the UEFA Women’s Euros establish a successful sustainability strategy which is implemented throughout the tournament. This is important as there are many ways which the tournament can negatively impact the environment. Fans and players need to travel between venues, sometimes frequently and over long distances. The host venues must be powered by gas and/or electricity which can originate from a number of different sources. Single-use plastics may be used for food and drink and there may be waste packaging on any merchandise sold. Large volumes of clean water need to be supplied to the venues and then the waste water removed and treated.
As part of their Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) strategy, UEFA aims to reduce the environmental impact of the 2025 UEFA Women’s Euros by focusing on three key areas: climate action (CA), sustainable infrastructure (SI) and the circular economy (CE). Here are some examples of the key goals listed in UEFA’s environmental strategy:
Free public transport for ticket holders (CA)
Plan the match schedule in the group stage to reduce team travel (CA)
Ensure that electricity from a renewable source is used in stadiums (SI)
Optimise water usage in tournament facilities (SI)
Ensure that products have no or limited packaging (CE)
Recover energy from non-recyclable waste (CE)
Raising awareness of environmental aspects of the tournament through media activities (CA)
The success of each of UEFA’s environmental goals from the ESG strategy will be measured after the tournament. For example, the percentage of ticket holders using free local public transport to reach the stadium will be used to measure the success of providing free public transport to ticket holders in order to reduce the spectators’ carbon impact. It is important to note that not only can many of these strategies be used by fans who are either attending the games or watching from home, but they can also be goals for day-to-day life. We can all try to avoid using single-use plastics and take public transport as often as possible.
Women are leading the way for sustainability in football and some great initiatives are being carried out by players and clubs. One of our very own climate champions Sofie Junge Pedersen recently led the biggest player-led climate action campaign in football history, raising more than €20,000 for climate initiatives. Another of our climate champions, Wolves Women’s player Merrick Will, is currently helping to promote a climate change survey for football fans as well as helping to drive the sustainability programme at Wolves. Last year, Tottenham Women’s defender Amy James-Turner released a report exploring the voice of women's football on climate change, which included both quantitative data and anecdotes. The Joie Stadium, home to Manchester City Women, now has more than 2,800 solar panels installed on its roof. Climate advocacy is becoming more visible thanks to the efforts of players and clubs such as these.
Let’s hope that sustainability continues to be a key pillar of the women’s game which can showcase what a greener future can look like for the planet!