This summer the Arsenal Academy joined forces with the sustainability experts at Football For Future to host climate education workshops for our Academy players from under-12s to under-16s from both the boys’ and girls’ teams.
These workshops created a unique space for our young players to engage with the fundamentals of climate change and the natural sciences, to explore the different ways that climate change affects football, and to creatively envision what a greener game could look like.
“With climate soaring up the football agenda, it’s important to engage the next generation of players on how climate change is threatening the future of the game, and how we can collectively tackle this issue on and off the pitch,” said FFF founder Elliot Arthur-Worsop.
“It was inspiring to see how much pre-existing knowledge the young people had and their enthusiasm for this important topic. These are the players of the future and, with attitudes and awareness like this, the future of the game is in good hands.”
In addition to the educational workshops, the players embarked on a tour of Emirates Stadium where they were shown first-hand the sustainable initiatives that the club has put in place. It’s one thing to talk about change, but these young people got to see the tangible work that the club is doing to reduce our own impact on the planet.
Chris Thurston, Arsenal’s player care manager at Hale End, explained how the sustainability workshops form part of the club’s approach to develop our young players off the pitch – as well as on it.
“Our determination to develop Strong Young Gunners includes a commitment to educating our players around topics that will help them towards becoming better people, as well as better players,” said Chris.
“As part of the Lifelong Learner Programme, we are really pleased to work with Football for Future, who delivered workshops which helped the players to see the link between climate change and football and inspired them to think about the actions they can take now to make a positive impact themselves.”
“It has also been a great opportunity for the Academy players to learn more about some of the great work that Arsenal already does at Emirates Stadium including methods to reduce waste and using renewable energy sources amongst others.”
Arsenal have been one of the first professional clubs in the world to offer climate education to academy players, and the results speak for themselves.
•Our sessions embedded a deep understanding of the link between climate change and football, giving our players the tools to work on sustainability projects.
•Our Academy players had the privilege of touring the Emirates Stadium, witnessing the real-life sustainable initiatives that the club has put in place, inspiring change and reducing our impact on the planet.
•We emphasised football’s pivotal role in climate action, nurturing a sense of responsibility.
•Recognising the influential voice of players, we ignited inspiration to drive change both on and off the field.
Together, we’re creating a legacy of sustainable football, and the future looks bright. As we continue to build on this foundation, we’re committed to leading by example, and we’re excited to see the positive impact our Strong Young Gunners will make on the world. This is more than just a workshop – it’s a movement, and it’s powered by the Arsenal spirit.
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