Mapping the beautiful game : a roadmap for soccer club sustainability

Abstract

This capstone project is the exploration of how football clubs across different tiers, ranging from grassroots to elite institutions, can adopt sustainability practices that are structured and balance all three, environmental, social and economic, priorities. Recognizing that football has a massive global reach, it is important that this study develops not only a practical but also a scalable sustainability roadmap, that is grounded in widely accepted frameworks. Examples of these are the UN Sustainable Development Goals, ISO and Global Reporting Initiative (GRI). Using a qualitative and exploratory methodology, the project synthesizes cases from clubs such as Forest Green Rovers, Tottenham Hotspur, FC Barcelona and Wrexham AFC to identify best practices but also common challenges. Key thematic areas explored include stadium operations, waste management, fan and staff engagement, ethical sourcing, community outreach, and sustainable reporting. The tiered roadmap is proposed, featuring a four-phase structure: assessment and planning, implementation by club size, monitoring and reporting, and finally, improvement. The use of performance indicators and goal setting strategies, such as SMART goals and backcasting are embedded to support measurable outcomes and improvement. The roadmap offers actionable tools, timeline and metrics tailored to club size and capacity. It emphasizes the importance of stakeholder engagement, transparency as well as adaptability in the face of both operational and environmental risks. Ultimately, the capstone project demonstrates that integrating sustainability into football operations is not just feasible but necessary to ensure long-term resilience of clubs, enrich community relations, and contribute meaningfully to global sustainability efforts.