Charlton proudly joined the Sustainable Travel Charter on Saturday ahead of the club’s annual Greener Game against Cambridge United at The Valley.
The charter is a groundbreaking initiative which aims to revolutionise football club travel by promoting more environmentally-friendly transportation options.
The Sustainable Travel Charter challenges established ideas that flying to fixtures should be the norm, addressing fans’ concerns over short-haul flights in professional football.
In signing the charter, the club recognises the importance of leading by example and contributing to broader efforts to address climate change within the football community.
The charter, created by Pledgeball, the Football Supporters' Association and club representatives, provides a framework for making more sustainable travel decisions for football clubs. It takes into account issues such as player security, health and wellbeing, travel tim and upcoming matches.
Katie Cross, CEO of Pledgeball, emphasised the significance of the Charter, saying: “This charter helps address something that has become a concerning norm: the acceptance of taking a form of transport that severely impacts those things we all hold dear, such as clean air and conditions in which we can play.
“With more clubs such as Charlton coming on board, it demonstrates the collective will to stop these damaging practices. This will encourage more clubs to come and join forces with us. We are in discussions with several other clubs to encourage widespread adoption.”
Charlton Managing Director James Rodwell added: "Saturday’s Greener Game was a great example of the club and its partners coming together as we continue our journey to become more environmentally sustainable under the guidance of our front of shirt partner RSK.
“Our players travelled together to the game in a hybrid coach provided by the University of Greenwich and it was really pleasing to see our supporters play their part too. More than 70 fans walked to the game from Eltham as part of a walk organised by Charlton Athletic Community Trust. Our Supporters’ Trust also organised a walk from North Greenwich to the game and lots of our fans made pledges to make environmentally-friendly changes in their lives.
"We'd also like to thank all the stall holders who joined our fan zone for the game to give supporters the opportunity to learn more about making environmentally-friendly decisions in their lives.
“While our teams don't not fly to games in the UK, signing the Sustainable Travel Charter further underpins our commitment to continuing to focus on becoming more environmentally friendly in our decision-making.”
Ashley Brown of the Football Supporters’ Association commented: “While player travel may not constitute the largest part of a football club's carbon footprint, adopting more sustainable travel options can lead to immediate emissions cuts for clubs aspiring to make a difference in climate action. The Charter serves as a guide for clubs to reduce the number of flights and emphasises the importance of transparency, as clubs currently do not have reporting requirements for their travel activities.”
For more information and for clubs to endorse the Sustainable Travel Charter, please contact info@pledgeball.org.
