Amidst the drama of the FA Cup’s third round, in which lower league sides such as Wrexham and Stevenage netted major shocks, a fervent discourse about clubs’ environmental commitments also began to bubble up in English football.
Premier League side Nottingham Forest was at the forefront of the controversy, after it was revealed the club opted to take a 20-minute flight to Championship opponents Blackpool rather than a close to three-hour coach trip.
Critics have taken aim at the club for the hypocrisy between its intentions and its actions, especially following the club entering a partnership with E.on aimed at raising awareness of the climate crisis and its impact within the last three months.
With data from the UK Government highlighting short-haul flights are some of the worst emitters of greenhouse gases when it comes to transport, the decision to take a flight for the 135-mile round trip can be argued as excessive and insincere.
Forest manager Steve Cooper came out midweek to defend the trip, stating it is “pretty normal” for a Premier League side to fly to matches and due to Forest’s geographical location, they “probably fly less than most”.
Walking the line
The situation highlights a key tightrope many businesses, not just football clubs, face on a regular basis – how do you successfully maintain a competitive edge for the business while ensuring ESG values are maintained?
To the hardy football manager, the edge gained by ensuring players are comfy, relaxed, and arriving at the ground well before the whistle could make all the difference between a win or a loss.
However, for a club like Forest – which aims to take part in a national ‘Green Football Weekend’ encouraging fans to take action against climate change – a short flight all but wipes out the positive impact and messaging such a campaign makes.
Clubs and businesses need to ensure that any ESG messaging is actually consistent with the actions taken on a day-to-day basis.
By not ensuring the two are linked tightly together, you run the risk of falling to greenwashing and severely harming consumer trust and your reputation.
The damage can become exponentially worse when it occurs to a high-profile brand such as a Premier League side – as it then undermines wider shared goals between governing bodies, national associations, and individual players.
Forest’s decision to fly to Blackpool, along with claims the trip is a common one and seemingly no desire to change methods for future matchdays, greatly impacts any future messaging to ESG credentials the club wishes to make.
Forest are not alone
However, Cooper’s claim most clubs in the top flight travel in the same method should not be discounted, and it is clear Forest are not the first, nor will they be the last, football club to show a disconnection between its messaging and its actions.
Earlier in January, Spanish side Real Madrid were heavily criticised for taking a 15-minute flight to face Valladolid in La Liga, while Manchester United were at the centre of a controversy after flying to Leicester despite claiming they were committed to the usage of clean energy.
Arguments have been made that this issue is something the governing bodies behind the leagues need to resolve, as it is often the match scheduling or lack of accountability and oversight which leads to short-haul flights being selected.
This is especially true in the Premier League, which has no sustainability pledge or wider strategy clubs must adhere to, often leaving them up to their own devices – resulting in top flight clubs having vastly different environmental measures.
Until the governing bodies behind the sport step in to show the commitment to reducing emissions travelling to and from games is one they are wanting to fight for, fans may just have to take comfort in the fact that the ‘competitive edge’ gained by flying seems to make very little difference.
Despite the short-haul flights to gain an advantage and ensure players are refreshed, Manchester United fell 4-2 to Leicester in the game in question, and Forest were embarrassed in a 4-1 loss to a side in the Championship’s relegation zone.
It is nowhere near enough, but the silver lining of losses may eventually be enough to turn things around for a more sustainable future for matchday travel.