Last but not least on our Euro Tour was a stop at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland. Not only is UEFA the home of European football, but it’s also the beginning of a new era of sustainable football.

Going into this meeting, WPG was positive there could be many great opportunities to collaborate. In fact, just a few weeks prior to the meeting, WPG got a better look at UEFA’s sustainability strategy at the “what does football do” panel at the Green and Blue Festival in Milan. Director of Football and Social Responsibility Michele Uva then explained that it is now a requirement for to have a sustainability strategy and manager in each UEFA-affiliated club and association.

UEFA has recently launched a 10-year plan to make European football “sustainable” by implementing 11 policies – 7 to tackle social issues, and 4 for the environment. However, it is evident in the UEFA requirement to have a sustainability manager that UEFA is on “offense”, meaning it not only has the tactical power and resources to make a comprehensive sustainability strategy but to implement it as well.

Meeting with the UEFAs sustainability representatives, WPG caught them up on our “ready-to-launch” initiatives – #2 Community, Green Bag, and the club society. 

There were a lot of synergies regarding WPG projects such as the #2 community and Green bag in relation to UEFA’s 11 sustainability strategies for 2030. There was a particular emphasis on UEFA sustainability policies for a circular economy, and climate advocacy.  

All in all, this meeting demonstrated that football sustainability is becoming a serious topic that is requiring action instead of only “strategy”.