Tackling climate change: Lessons to be learned from US sports stadiums

UK stadiums

• Opened on 3 April 2019, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London takes the crown for being the most famous sustainable sports stadium in the UK.
• Boasting 100% renewable energy usage with zero stage 2 emissions, the stadium filters rainwater through its solar screens which later channels to the washrooms for usage by its visitors and spectators.
• Spurs have also set themselves a goal of halving their carbon emissions by 2030 and becoming net zero by 2040. They’re also donating trees to local green spaces and transporting their players using a shared coach powered by green biodiesel.
• It’s also promising to see that sustainability initiatives are not just implemented in the top tier of English football. Playing in the Championship for the 2024/25 season, Oxford United are expected to vacate their current stadium in 2026 and move into the UK’s first all-electric stadium, completely eliminating the use of fossil fuels at matches.
• Princes Park Stadium, home of Dartford FC, has a ‘living roof’ providing natural air filtration, lake storage for rainwater pitch irrigation and a playing field that is sunk two metres below the external ground level to reduce noise and light pollution to the surrounding area.
• Forest Green Rovers have also introduced vegan matchday meal projects, and source 10% of their electricity consumption from the 180 solar panels installed on their stadium roof.

US role models

Across the pond, US stadium sustainability projects have taken the lead on innovation.

Comments by market leaders suggest that US enterprises are quickly understanding the opportunities and responsibilities presented by operating more sustainably. Stadium operators are recognising the inherent ability they possess to highlight climate issues in a way that many other types of business cannot [3].

Some examples:

• The Climate Pledge Arena is a multi-purpose sports arena situated in Seattle and operates using 100% renewable energy. Co-owned by Amazon, the aim of this multi-ownership was to showcase companies, partners and organisations working together to address climate change.
• Concurrent with the announcement it was stated that the venue would aim to receive a net-zero certification by pledging for all events to be “zero-waste” (through use of compostable containers and reduction of single-use plastic), use captured rainwater for its ice surface, and source at least 75% of food served at the arena from local producers.
• It is also home to the ‘Green Wall’ – a combination of 28 species of plants embedded in a wall two floors below ground level. Seattle Kraken Ice Hockey fans can also visit the stadium using pre-arranged free public transport for home matches.
• The Pheonix Suns Footprint Centre in Arizona displays messages about climate change and sustainability on the jumbotron, educating visitors on the importance of sustainability.
• The Levi’s Stadium in California is the home of American football team the 49ers, and contains 1,100 solar panels and operates with 85% recycled water. Part of the roof has also been converted to a farm which has grown over 10 tonnes of vegetables and fruits!
• The Arizona Diamondbacks’ baseball stadium contains a solar pavilion simultaneously offering shade to the stadium’s main entrance and enough power to host 12 match events. This is an example of a team playing to the strengths of their environment, using low flush toilets and low flow faucets to cut their desert water consumption in half.

What’s stopping the UK from equalising?

UK sports stadiums and particularly UK football stadiums have not been without unique challenges throughout recent history, with a large focus of their development projects being centred around visitor safety, crowd control and security.

A large portion of the UK football season is played through the winter, with limited daylight hours and even further limited sunshine. This issue is also prevalent in sports stadiums in the northern regions of the United States. Whilst the aim may be to operate stadiums through 100% green energy, this is often not achievable due to lack of sunshine and poor transport links.

These weather restraints mean that solar energy is not only less available, but it also needs to be accumulated over a longer period of time and maintained in storage facilities – increasing short term costs for clubs.

Although there have been vast advancements in green energy over recent years, for the reasons explained above, it’s often more cost effective for clubs to operate and run using fossil fuels.

Considerations need to be made for the short window in which sustainability-based construction projects can take place in a stadium without causing significant disruption to in-season operations. Such delays often resulting in cost implications for all parties involved (as discussed in more detail in our “Pitch-perfect partnerships” article in November 2023 [4]).

Existing UK regulations

There are a number of regulations in place already that are designed to reduce the environmental impact of large events and encourage the adoption of sustainable practices. Key regulatory measures include:

1. Carbon reduction commitment: Under the UK’s carbon reduction commitment, large sports venues are required to monitor, report, and reduce their carbon emissions. Failure to comply can result in substantial penalties.
2. Waste management regulations: Sports venues must adhere to strict waste management protocols, ensuring that waste is disposed of responsibly and where possible, reduced or recycled.
3. Energy efficiency standards: There is a push for sports venues to improve their energy efficiency. This includes the installation of energy-efficient lighting and heating systems and leveraging building management systems to reduce energy consumption.
4. Water usage restrictions: In some regions, sports venues must comply with water usage restrictions to mitigate the risk of water scarcity, particularly during dry periods.

It will also be interesting to see how the new Labour Government fairs with their recent pledge on including a clean power system by 2030, which will almost certainly impacting the way sports stadiums are run over the next few years.

How can UK clubs get ahead?

It is by sticking to the above initiatives, thinking about the mandating of sustainability initiatives and appointing the right expertise that UK sports stadiums will be able to overcome inevitable sustainability challenges and continue to set new examples for sustainability around the world. Sustainability initiatives adopted from both the top-down and bottom-up can directly educate British football fans and influencing the wider community as a whole.

By engaging with sustainability projects, sports clubs can attract new investment and appeal to a wider range of sponsorships and communities. Clubs should use the investment in sustainability to enhance their global reputation and secure long term financial savings through the use of renewable, climate-generated energy. For this to truly kick off and as explained above, there needs to be continued and active engagement from the football giants and lower league teams alike.

Through measures such as energy-efficient technologies, water conservation measures, responsible waste management, and sustainable travel initiatives, stadiums can significantly reduce their environmental impact.

Sustainable stadium development can also be used as a way to set an example for other industries, demonstrating that economic growth and environmental responsibility can coexist.

Stadiums can become catalysts for change, inspiring individuals, businesses, and communities to adopt sustainable practices in their own lives.

How can we support you?

Walker Morris’ Construction & Engineering Team can:

• Provide advice in relation to sustainable stadium development, with a focus on achieving the desired climate/sustainability standard.
• Advise on your construction contracts and the application and implementation of bespoke climate change/sustainability clauses in any potential stadium development.

Please get in touch with Carly Thorpe and Jonathan Coser if you have any queries or would like to know more about encouraging sustainability in stadium development.

Explore more updates for football clubs in the pre-season edition of Beyond the Game, here.

[1] Green Goals: The Sustainable Future of UK Football Stadiums (walkermorris.co.uk)

[2] https://inside.fifa.com/technical/stadium-guidelines

[3] The business case for green sports stadiums and arenas is growing (cnbc.com)

[4] Navigating stadium development projects for football clubs (walkermorris.co.uk)