Author: Marc Vallverdú
On March 22, 2023, in Seville, at the Estadio Real Betis Balompié Benito Villamarín, a session was held to present and disseminate the results of the SDG Striker project , organized in collaboration with the European Football For Development Network (EFDN) and the Ecoserveis Association. SDG Striker, funded by the European Union under the Erasmus+ program, is a project aimed at promoting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the football and sports sector.
The session was held during the 19th EFDN Conference and was conceived as an event with the aim of engaging and motivating sports clubs and organizations in implementing actions to achieve the UN SDGs and replicate the three pilots of the SDG Striker project focused on:
- Replacing artificial grass with plastic (rubber) to reduce microplastic pollution.
- The implementation of energy efficiency measures and awareness raising about energy poverty.
- The installation of photovoltaic panels in sports facilities as a source of renewable energy.
Clubs from Turkey, the United Kingdom, Hungary, Belgium, Poland and the East Asian Football Federation were among the more than 200 attendees at the event , of which 20 participated in the survey conducted during the session. The profile of the event attendees (project coordinators, corporate social responsibility managers, CEOs, event managers, etc.) meant that the session was an opportunity to promote the project and its positive results, as well as to provide useful information to high-level decision-makers to take action to achieve the SDGs in their organizations.
The session presented the project objectives, consortium members and the main results and communication materials developed. This was the first time that the SDG Striker Practitioner’s Guide on Replicability and Policy Recommendations was presented to the public. The pilot presentation focused on this document, which provides guidelines and advice for clubs and sports organizations to replicate the sustainability measures and strategies carried out by the pilots.
Other project results were also presented, such as the SDG Striker Magazine , the Practical Guidelines Manual for Incorporating and Communicating the SDGs in Sports Organizations and a first approach to the Pilots’ Evaluation Report .
During the session, an interactive survey was conducted to gather information on the clubs’ sustainability goals and barriers and to receive feedback on the project and its results. The survey found that a significant proportion of attendees were unaware of the existence of certain environmental and social issues related to the sports sector. It also helped to detect the lack of knowledge and tools for implementing measures to address these issues, highlighting the need for educational and outreach projects such as SDG Striker to equip sports organizations with the tools and knowledge needed to identify and address sustainability issues.
The survey also showed that there are a significant number of clubs that are already implementing measures regarding energy efficiency and solar energy, while there are few clubs willing to switch to more sustainable artificial turf alternatives. While the former could be related to the high availability of renewable energy technology and the increase in energy prices with gas and oil, the latter could respond to the lack of options available on the market for the replacement of artificial turf and the slow development of performant and viable solutions.
Lack of funding and lack of commitment from the board of directors of sports entities were the two main barriers identified by participants in the replication of the pilots. Therefore, addressing these two identified limitations is key to promoting the implementation of the SDGs in sports organizations. Projects such as SDG Striker, which aim to reach and raise awareness among directors, managers and other key stakeholders in sports organizations, are useful in overcoming the barrier of lack of commitment, which is often directly related to a lack of knowledge about the subject and the steps to be taken to implement the measures. On the other hand, there are funding calls organized by the European Union and national and regional governments that can help overcome financial barriers. For more information on funding, see issue 3 of the SDG Striker magazine .
Finally, attendees gave very positive feedback about the project , demonstrating that the event was a success in raising awareness among actors in the world of sports, allowing the dissemination of the project’s results and providing clubs with tools for pilot replication and a guide on how and where to start.
