The Planet League Cup brings together 77 professional football clubs, 12 County FAs, hundreds of grassroots football clubs and schools, to engage fans on climate action...
The Planet League Cup is the unique sustainability tournament where football fans score goals for their club by completing green activities like having a meat-free meal, using the car less and filling up reusable bottles with tap water.
The tournament kicks off today and runs for five weeks. Each week focuses on a particular theme, such as energy, food or travel, and the club whose fans take the most action will win the Planet League Cup. As well as taking the glory, the fan who scores the most goals will win a holiday in the UK.
Cambridge United are looking to defend the crown after last year's inaugural cup victory and will compete against the likes of Manchester United Foundation, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea Foundation, Liverpool Foundation and 71 other clubs.
As part of the Planet League Cup launch, football reporter Geoff Shreeves and Wycombe Wanderers’ footballer David Wheeler have lent support to a short video entitled ‘It’s Time’.
Planet League Cup headlines:
- Five-week climate action tournament between the fans of 77 professional football clubs and their associated club community organisations
- 12 County FA’s are encouraging thousands of grassroots football clubs to take part
- Hundreds of schools are taking part with free classroom materials made available to Primary and Secondary teachers
- Her Game Too and Women in Football have joined as official partners
- Wycombe Wanderers’ midfielder David Wheeler becomes Planet League’s first Ambassador
Football fans taking part in the Planet League Cup will have dozens of environmentally friendly actions to choose from to score goals. They include unplugging your appliances when they aren't in use, making the best of your food before it's too late with an ‘eat-me-first’ box, taking cooler and shorter showers and using public transport.
The ‘LayerUp’ challenge is a new activity for this season with a timely, serious message of putting on more layers of clothing instead of putting the heating on; to save energy and to save money. The LayerUp challenge, created in partnership with BBC Bitesize’s The Regenerators initiative, sees football players putting on as many layers of clothing as possible in 30 seconds. West Bromwich Albion FC Women, Wycombe Wanderers FC and Burton Albion FC players have completed the challenge.
Tom Gribbin, CEO Planet League, added, “Planet League Cup’s fun activities put football fandom at the centre of tackling climate change, but provide other important benefits, beyond the environment. Healthy eating and choosing active travel over using the car benefits our physical health; being efficient with energy, water and food saves us money; getting into nature and spending time with family and friends aids mental wellbeing.”
Yvonne Harrison, CEO Women in Football, said: “There are so many ways we can join the fight against climate change, and football can make a huge contribution. We're proud to become an official partner of Planet League, encouraging our 6,000+ members to try some of those activities and score for the environment. Come on you greens!"
Eve Ralph, Co-Founder Her Game Too, said: “We’re delighted to be partnering with Planet League to encourage our community to take climate action. Planet League’s tournaments are especially popular amongst female fans and it’s clear that we will be a driving force in the move to a low carbon society.”
The 50 Planet League Cup activities include:
- LayerUp - Put on as many layers of clothing in 30 seconds
- No Moura Landfill - Show off your football skills while recycling, backed by Lucas Moura
- Leg power 5k - Go for a walk/cycle instead of using the car
- Pumped up - Pump up your car tyres
- Screens off - Try a screen-free evening
- Over the line - Hanging out the washing instead of using the tumble drier
- Smart move - Get a smart meter installed
- Snap a bug - Get into nature and identify an insect
- Meat-free meal - Eat a meat-free meal
- Bug stadium - Build a football stadium for the bugs
- Fergie time food - Grab some yellow ticket food from the supermarket
- No moo milk - Try plant-based milk
- Charity shop drop - Donate a bag of preloved clothes
Fans who wish to represent the U's in the Planet League Cup should head to planetleague.co.uk.