The second year of Green Football Weekend will take place on the first weekend in February, with hundreds of football clubs all across Europe and their fans taking climate action.
Football is often highlighted in the media for its massive carbon footprint, and these dedicated events that will involve owners, coaches, players, fans and pundits in activities to help reduce their impact on the planet.
When is this year’s Green Football Weekend?
The first-ever Green Football Weekend last year was hailed as a success and the organisers of the second year hope for even better climate activism from everyone this time around. This year’s dedicated weekend for climate action is 02-05 February.
The Green Football Weekend initiative has already been formally opened at Wembley Stadium, with an event that featured the former England player Joe Cole and the Forest Green chairman Dale Vince.
#GreenFootballWeekend takes place 2nd-5th Feb as clubs, fans, players and pundits take climate action.
There's a big focus on food and a free cookbook with loads of vegetarian ideas including @sterling7‘s cauliflower, potato and spinach curry 👌https://t.co/8XhRwdfFUj pic.twitter.com/kuiDXbHCnF
— The FSA (@WeAreTheFSA) January 18, 2024
Who is this year’s Green Football Weekend ambassador?
This year the Green Football Weekend ambassador is the hugely popular ex-England striker and veteran BBC Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker. Here is what Lineker had to say about the initiative:
“I am proud to kickstart the second year of Green Football Weekend. Football has the unbelievable power to unite everyone – clubs, players and fans from across the community with a common goal to take action. Trying a healthy veggie option over Green Football Weekend is a simple step towards a healthier lifestyle and a healthier planet.”
What is this year’s main focus during the Green Football Weekend?
The main focus during this year’s Green Football Weekend will be on food. The organisers of this event calculate that if the UK’s football fans had one vegetarian meal per day it could save the equivalent of removing 5.5m cars from our roads.
To promote their call for more veggie meals more than 70 players, celebrity chefs and pundits have shared their favourite vegetarian recipes. Those have been turned into a free online cookbook which will be promoted among supporters.
What is the Green Football Cup?
The fan-fun event of the Green Football Weekend is called the Green Football Cup. Over 80 clubs across the UK have registered for this competition. Fans, players and staff members need to take part in climate activism to score “goals” for their team. The club that has collected the most goals at the end of the weekend will be given the Green Football Cup.
For instance, any fan who tries to cook a recipe from the free online cookbook and posts it online with the #GreenFootballWeekend will score one “goal” for the team they support.
Many other activities can score you “goals” for your team. From making pledges to reduce your carbon footprint, to actively choosing to walk/cycle to the stadium. Just remember to take a photo of your chosen activity, post it online with the hashtag and you’ll immediately see the number of “goals” for your team increasing. Who will win the Green Football Cup?
What are the most famous Green Football Weekend cookbook recipes?
The free cookbook full of delicious suggestions for vegetarian and vegan meals is already proving a huge hit among football fans. With each passing day, more and more social media posts show fans taking on the challenge to cook their favourite recipe at home.
It seems the frontrunner for a most famous recipe to try right now is Raheem Sterling’s ‘Cauliflower, potato and spinach curry’. Celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott’s ‘Butternut squash, stilton and pecan pastry rolls’; Adrian Mariappa’s ‘Feel-good Laksa Noodle Curry’ and Sophie Barker’s ‘Halloumi tortillas and sweet potato fries’ are also getting rave reviews.
Our personal favourites have to be Amy Turner‘s (Tottenham Women) ‘Roasted red pepper soup’ and chef Tom Kerridge’s ‘Umami mushrooms and halloumi burgers’. We tried them both and we’ll certainly be making those part of our regular menu.