UEFA and European Football Clubs (EFC) have announced the completion of the first year of their shared action plan to help football clubs across Europe embed sustainability into their day-to-day operations.
The two-year Sustainability Cooperation Plan, which covers the 2025/26 and 2026/27 seasons, involves supporting clubs in the development of tailored sustainability strategies, offering educational support, and facilitating three-way dialogue between clubs, associations and leagues.
‘One year into the plan, it has become part of a wider positioning of sustainability as a strategic investment – one that benefits society while creating long-term value for football’, UEFA said in a statement.
Sustainability roadshows
Over the past year, the two groups have hosted nine sustainability roadshow events across Belgium, Czechia, England, France, Greece, Hungary, Portugal, Spain and Türkiye, which brought together representatives from 185 football clubs to discuss local sustainability priorities, exchange experiences and identify areas where additional support is needed.
As UEFA noted, the programme has highlighted the varying levels of sustainability maturity across European football, with some clubs boasting dedicated sustainability teams and strategies, and others remaining at an earlier stage of development.
The roadshows also identified different priorities across countries – in Greece, for example, clubs highlighted accessibility and football for people with disabilities as key areas of focus. In Türkiye, meanwhile, discussions centred on improving stadium energy efficiency, while in France sustainability measures, including environmental responsibility and team travel, now form part of the criteria used in the licensing system for clubs competing in top divisions.
Continued momentum
‘The Sustainability Cooperation Plan will continue throughout the 2026/27 season, building on the relationships and momentum created over the past year, ‘ UEFA added.
‘The next sustainability dialogue event will take place in Copenhagen in August, kicking off another season of joint efforts to make sustainability fundamental to how European football clubs operate.’ Read more here.
