‘Football clubs must set sustainability tone’

Article posted by Coliseum, September 16^th, 2024

Image: Coliseum GSVA

Gaia Pretner has élan and poise in her bearing and talks straight to the point. Well-versed on the topic of sustainability, she holds a top-ranking position with the European Club Association (ECA).

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There is a lack of effective action in general on the part of the sports industry when it comes to addressing the sustainability issues and Pretner emphasized on the required need for change.

Gaia Pretner joined the European Club Association (ECA) in May 2023 as the Head of Sustainability and is developing ECA’s sustainability strategy. She holds a PhD in Sustainability Management with a thesis on Circular Economy.

Gaia Pretner, Head of Sustainability, ECA, Switzerland, tells ‘Coliseum’ on a serious note that the European football clubs overall sustainability progress report leaves much to be desired and they need to pull up their sustainability socks because sooner or later they will have no choice but to set a sustainability tone because the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) regulations will require them to do so. She also observed that sustainability is becoming a main driver in the sports industry and in football in particular.

ECA

Nyon (Switzerland)-based the European Club Association (ECA) is officially recognized by both the UEFA (governing body for football in Europe) and the FIFA as the sole, independent body for football clubs at the European level. Since its inception in 2008, the ECA has represented and created value for its membership and beyond, safeguarding, strengthening and developing the European clubs’ interests as the key club stakeholder in all international football affairs and decision-making.

Gaia Pretner began the conversation by informing that “in Europe, we represent the football clubs and we are officially recognized by both the UEFA and the FIFA to connect with the football clubs. We represented 525 European clubs and as of today we have 561. We are growing pretty fast.”

UEFA License

She informed that to participate in any UEFA competition, including the Champions League, the Europa League, or the Conference League, a football club must obtain a “UEFA License which essentially means that they need to meet specific criteria regarding their financial stability, stadium infrastructure and the overall operations and submit a license request to their national association to be verified before they can compete in a UEFA competition. This process ensures a certain standard across European football.”

Pretner added, “So long, the UEFA License criteria were focusing on the financial aspect. But, from 2023, they introduced the sustainability requirements which basically require the clubs to appoint a Sustainability Manager and develop a sustainability strategy that covers five topics – Anti-racism, Equality and Inclusion, Accessibility, Child and Youth Protection, and Environmental Protection. And yes, we also have social topics because sustainability is also about social aspects and not just about the environment.”

Presently, if the European clubs do not satisfy the above requirements they are subject to a fine but still obtain the ‘UEFA License’ but she informed that the UEFA is giving a serious thought on making the sustainability requirements mandatory from the 2025-2026 seasons “which translates to the fact that if the clubs do not meet the benchmarks they will not be eligible for the ‘UEFA License’ and will not be allowed to participate in the European competitions.”

Pretner spelt out that sustainability was not solely the responsibility of the Sustainability Manager and “the respective clubs have to work as a team with their hearts and souls into it”.

UEFA Football Sustainability Strategy 2030

The UEFA Football Sustainability Strategy 2030, also known as ‘Strength through Unity’, is a long-term plan to promote respect for the environment and human rights in European football.

She cut to the chase, “Maybe the English clubs do not follow the UEFA sustainability guidelines but if all the other European clubs start publishing sustainability reports it will become the new normal. We have realized that the European clubs will have to do their homework when it comes to sustainability matters.”

Sum-up

Gaia Pretner summed up by painting not a very bright picture of the European football clubs when it comes to their responsibilities as regards sustainability, “The European football clubs are lagging behind in their sustainability journey though not a total dismal picture. They will have to be proactive in this regard otherwise the UEFA sustainability regulations will force them to fall in line. The venues too are a key part of the sustainability journey. Every club should have a concrete sustainability strategy in place and work on the same hard. It should not be a box-ticking affair.”

Her point was loud and clear – If the clubs are serious about protecting their players, the fans and the future of football their actions will have to speak louder than their words.

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