Kent Green United Impact Statement - July-December 2024
Grassroots Clubs across Kent have joined our mission to make football in the county as green as possible.
Kent Green United encourages and celebrates eco-friendly initiatives and events organised by clubs to benefit their communities, and also provides tips, shares best practices, and rewards outstanding achievements.
Here are some of the highlights of the second half of 2024…
Kit Donations
Rising Stars FC, Fox FC and Maidstone United Raiders organised collections of kit they no longer needed, to send out to projects around the world that will benefit from it. As well as providing access to kit for teams that may not otherwise have any, this helps to reduce waste going to landfill.
Litter Picks
Grassroots clubs continued cleaning up their grounds and the surrounding areas by holding group litter picks for players, coaches and volunteers. Eight litter picks took place during the six-month period from July to December, held by Counting House FC, Rainham Eagles FC, Maidstone United Raiders and Kent FA staff.
Boot Swaps
With young players regularly outgrowing their footwear, boot swaps are a great way to keep second hand kit in use and save families money at the same time. Rising Stars FC and Maidstone United Raiders held boot swaps, which prevented the footwear from unnecessarily going to landfill.
Reusable Cups and Bottles
Several clubs are now promoting reusable drinks containers to their players and coaches, to avoid reliance on single-use bottles and cups that add to waste levels. Clubs supporting this eco-friendly practice include Maidstone Raiders, Barming Youth, Cranbrook Juniors Rising Stars Youth and Staplehurst Monarchs Youth.
Alternative Travel
With football fixtures often involving a fair bit of travelling that can add to the carbon emissions released into the atmosphere, Kent Green United encourages clubs to walk, cycle or use public transport to get to games and training where safe and practical. Kings Hill FC and Fox FC are among the clubs to promote eco-travelling methods to their club members.
Committed for 2024/25
18 clubs from across the county had committed to being Kent Green United clubs at the start of the 2024/25 season. Each month, one club is chosen to be Green Club of the Month for sharing their activities on social media using #kentgreenunited and they win a £100 voucher for discountfootballkit.com
We would like to take this moment to thank our Kent Green United partners, Veolia, DFDS and Kit4Causes for their continued support to help create a greener game for Kent.
Thank you to all of our Kent Green United member clubs for your fantastic achievements during 2024.
If your club is interested in signing up, click here