With a dominant performance throughout the season, the Robins have stormed the Pledgeball League surpassing clubs such as Manchester Utd, Leicester, Burnley and Huddersfield to come away with the Pledgeball League Winners 21/22 title, pledging to save a massive 345,421kg of CO₂e per year! This is the equivalent of taking 74 cars off the road.
City CEO Richard Gould said: “We’re delighted that our fans have won the inaugural Pledgeball league. It shows that City fans really do care about the world and local environment. Partnering with Pledgeball has been a pleasure and we look forward to the competition next season.
“Pledgeball Founder Katie Cross said “I am really delighted to be presenting this first Pledgeball League Award to Bristol City. The support shown by the club and fans has been incredible- real trailblazers.
Bring on next season!”
Cross goes on to say “Thank you to every single football fan or sports fan that pledged to save emissions in the Pledgeball League this season. We had 531 different pledgers and saved a grand total of 3,951,420kg of CO₂e, which is the equivalent of taking a huge 851 cars off the road. Thank you also to Sustainable Clarets and Huddersfield Town supporters Association for partnering with us this season”.
“I also want to give a special shout out to Whitehawk FC who were our pilot club and were top of the pilot lockdown league last year, thank you to all their fans who supported us as we shaped Pledgeball into what it is today”
The top six of the Pledgeball League for the 2021/22 season are:
- Bristol City FC
- Whitehawk FC
- Charlton Athletic
- Huddersfield Town
- Burnley FC
- Peckham Town FC
Others in the top half of the Pledgeball League include Manchester United, Leicester City, Liverpool Women, Chelsea FC, Chelsea Women and Bristol City Women..
Pledgeball gives fans the platform to take a stand on sustainability. Fans can show support for their team by making a pledge to cut down their carbon emissions and help their club climb the Pledgeball League Table. The idea is simple: the group of fans who have pledged to save the most carbon emissions by midnight on matchday will see their club win the Pledgeball fixture and climb the league table.
The Pledgeball mechanism is backed up by current findings of climate communication research including our own research completed in 2021.
Check out Pledgeball at www.pledgeball.org
The top 5 most popular pledges that were chosen by fans included recycling everything you can, use a reusable water bottle, hanging out washing instead of using a tumble dryer, cook leftovers and minimise food waste and use recycled toilet paper!
The Pledgeball League might be over for another season but take heart football fans Pledgeball have some upcoming campaigns that you can get involved with!
The Women’s Euros League will be appearing shortly on the Pledgeball website as we edge nearer to the tournament. Pledgeball are running a campaign with their partners the FSA, which will kick off with our lightning talk at the National Football Museum on 5 July. To pledge during the Women’s Euros head to http://pledgeball2.org/devel9/fixtures/. There are also some great PRIZES up for grabs by pledging here, including an e-copy of FIFA 22.
Another campaign kicking off this summer is The Ball. Pledgeball are key partners with Spirit of Football (check them out on Netflix) who are spearheading this campaign that kicks off on 10th July at Battersea Park. The Ball will travel across the globe before heading to the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, showcasing climate action and garnering pledges along the way!
Cross finishes by saying “35 different teams League and non-league teams were part of the Pledgeball League this season – we’re looking to smash that next season! Support your team to victory in the Pledgeball League 22/23 by pledging to support them each fixture when the new season kicks off”.
