Brighton & Hove Albion has been named the ‘greenest’ football club in the Premier League, according to new research that assessed all 20 top division clubs in terms of sustainability measures, pollution levels, the amount of green space surrounding their stadiums, and transport-related CO2 emissions.
The Seagulls achieved a score of 80.6 out of 100, putting them top of the league, with their Amex Stadium boasting 188.67 hectares of green space within 500 metres of the ground, the second highest in the league.
Top of the league
In addition, Brighton has introduced seven out of 11 possible sustainability measures, including renewable energy use, waste diversion, and water reuse initiatives, while the club’s transport-related CO2 emissions stood at 255,600 tonnes, the seventh-lowest in the league.
The average transport-related emissions among all clubs in the league is 432,440 tonnes.
In second place is Brentford, which boasts the largest surrounding green space of any club in the Premier League, with 214.38 hectares around its Gtech Community Stadium. Brentford also scored highly in terms of air quality and transport emissions.
Tottenham Hotspur ranks third, with a score of 59.3, with the club having implemented 10 out of 11 possible sustainability measures, while Chelsea places fourth, with the London club boasting one of the lowest transport emissions of any Premier League club, at 122,300 tonnes. Nearby rivals Fulham, which also enjoys low transport emissions at Craven Cottage, places fifth.
Other clubs in the top ten include Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, Burnley, West Ham United, and Newcastle United.
At the other end of the table, meanwhile, is Leeds United, which ranks lowest with a score of 5.4. According to the study, the club boasts the highest transport emissions in the league, of more than 1.4 million tonnes, as well as having just 8.04 hectares of green space around its home ground Elland Road.
Sustainability efforts
“With the Premier League outlining its strategy to achieve net zero emissions by 2040, clubs introducing more sustainability measures, and fans becoming more aware of their own carbon footprint, we wanted to find out which clubs are at the forefront of sustainability in the Premier League,” commented Fraser Bricknell of Tipman Tips, which carried out the study.
“Brighton’s excellent air quality, abundant green space, and low transport emissions, see the Seagulls set a benchmark for eco-friendly football.” Read more here.
Top 10 Greenest Premier League Clubs
| Rank | Club | No. of Sustainability Measures /11 | Pollution Levels | Transport CO₂ Emissions | Green Space (hectares) | Total Score /100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brighton and Hove Albion | 7 | 33 | 255,600 | 188.67 | 80.6 |
| 2 | Brentford | 5 | 39 | 331,900 | 214.38 | 72 |
| 3 | Tottenham Hotspur | 10 | 40 | 136,600 | 27.97 | 59.3 |
| 4 | Chelsea | 5 | 39 | 122,300 | 22.78 | 52 |
| 5 | Fulham | 5 | 39 | 122,300 | 15.28 | 51.1 |
| 6 | Bournemouth | 1 | 30 | 424,200 | 47.13 | 48.6 |
| 7 | Crystal Palace | 6 | 38 | 315,200 | 20.99 | 48.6 |
| 8 | Burnley | 4 | 58 | 126,500 | 154.84 | 46 |
| 9 | West Ham United | 3 | 40 | 219,500 | 26.94 | 43.6 |
| 10 | Newcastle United | 6 | 46 | 380,300 | 40.13 | 42 |
