Arsenal And Ball Corp. Make environmental sustainability fun for fans

Premier League runners-up Arsenal FC, aluminum packaging giant Ball Corporation and British fan engagement platform Planet League teamed up towards the end of the 2023/24 Premier League season to deliver the Green Gooners Cup. The three-week fan tour helped raise sustainability awareness among Gooners (Arsenal fans) and encouraged them to “make small sustainable choices and positively impact the planet”. The Green Gooners Cup was a resounding success with over 7,600 fans in 161 locations registering and recording over 56,000 “green goals”.

The campaign, the brainchild of three organizations to mark Global Recycling Day, asked fans to create a profile on the Green Gooners website and submit photographic evidence of themselves acting sustainably. There were over 40 actions fans could do to score green goals. These could be anything from filling their reusable water bottle to eating a vegetarian meal or recycling used batteries, although there was a strong emphasis on choosing aluminum – Ball Corp’s main product. and a steady one at that. The more green goals fans score, the more points they score and the more points, the more likely they can win a prize.

Spreading the message of sustainability was also central to the campaign. Gooners who referred friends would earn extra points and win prizes. For referring five friends, fans would be entered into a draw to win tickets to visit the Emirates Stadium. Raj Kular, an intrepid Gooner and one of the most active participants of the tournament is proof that the gamified sustainability campaign wowed the fans. For her commitment to sustainability over three weeks, Kular won three prizes: tickets to see Arsenal play Bournemouth, a signed football and a free stadium tour.

Kular, spoke to me via video call a few weeks after the campaign ended. Reflecting on the tournament, Kular said “Overall it was good fun” and that the organizers made the campaign interactive and easy. As someone who was already aware of sustainability issues beforehand, Kular noted that the Green Gooners Cup “reinforced some of the activities I was already doing.” She also admitted that it made her think about other aspects of her life that she could make changes to, such as donating used clothes (as opposed to throwing them away), recycling batteries and adjusting her diet. its to reduce meat consumption.

These actions may seem trivial compared to the planet’s huge climate problem, but if every Arsenal fan across the globe (nearly 99 million social media followers) took similar steps to reduce their environmental footprint , the impact would be tremendous. Of course, putting the onus on football fans to create the system change that governments and businesses need to implement to combat climate change is unfair and to some extent unreasonable. However, raising fans’ awareness of sustainability, showing them the power of their actions and giving them agency in the fight against climate change is certainly a commendable achievement.

The Green Gooners Cup was the club’s biggest fan engagement campaign in professional football. It was twice the size of the Green Football Weekend Cup, showing what can be achieved when a club really commits to a cause. According to Mike Kelley, Director of Strategic Partnerships at Ball Corp. “The results of the post-event survey showed that the campaign was extremely successful. Over 64% of respondents strongly agreed and 33% agreed that they plan to continue taking small actions to live greener when the Green Gooners Cup is over.” This reflects successful behavior change thanks to just a few weeks of campaigning and the potential for long-term impact.

The success can be explained by two reasons. As Kular said, the campaign was fun. Despite the complexity of sustainability and the mental shift required to create new daily habits, fans embraced the campaign because it was both relaxed and competitive. Most importantly, the three-week tournament instilled pride and increased a sense of community among fans.

Kular said she felt “a pleasant surprise to see Arsenal commit to this issue” and added that she was “super proud as a supporter to see them lead the way”. Additionally, she said a major hurdle for her was that she wasn’t making these changes alone, but making them alongside her fellow Gooners.

It didn’t hurt that the club included some of its stars in the campaign. Arsenal midfielders Jorginho and Declan Rice and striker Gabriel Jesus competed in two endurance challenges. In the Top Bins Challenge, each player was quizzed on their knowledge of sustainability and then asked to shoot a ball into a recycling bin located in the top corner of the goal. Interestingly, all three players answered the questions better than they shot the ball. All three superstars were also on time collecting Arsenal’s Ball Corp branded aluminum cups. The one who collected and subtracted them the fastest won. Amid much laughter and some trial and error, Jorginho took the crown.

According to Kelley, the campaign’s success shows that “sustainability doesn’t have to be difficult.” Moreover, organizing an event like this can be beneficial for all parties. Through this tournament, fans and players learned more about sustainability and some began making changes to reduce their environmental impact. As a club, Arsenal united its fan community for a particular cause, reinforcing a sense of community among them and generating goodwill off the pitch. Meanwhile, Ball Corp. increased the visibility of its product and brand by being associated with a good cause and a strong brand with millions of followers. Kular admits that before the tournament she had never heard of Ball Corp., but after the campaign, she said “My impression of Ball Corp. was that it was a cool entity to drive consistency in a soccer fan base.”

The main issue now is not to let the momentum disappear. Kelley says similar campaigns can be expected in the future and that Ball Corp. is “talking to Planet League about a more global campaign, including teams in the United States.” He added that moving forward “we will continue to work closely with our amazing partners to refine messaging, meet fans where they are on the sustainability journey and help drive more sustainable choices through engaging campaigns and educational”.

Given the success of this tournament and the growing interest and regulation around environmental sustainability, fans should expect more targeted activations like this moving forward. Green Football Weekend is fast becoming a staple in the UK and fan activation and engagement is one of the central themes in the modern sports business. With every major tournament, in every sport, there are further opportunities to create meaningful action around issues that matter.

Euro 2024 has put in place a comprehensive strategic plan to make itself the most sustainable tournament yet, part of which relies on increasing fan awareness and providing sustainable transport options. The 2026 World Cup provides a massive platform to reach an entire continent of fans in one fell swoop. And leagues around the world like the NFL, NBA, Premier League and LALIGA have the opportunity to create weekly influence if they want to. Maybe we’ll see Planet League, Ball Corp. and other entities to invent further exciting programs that drive fan engagement in environmental sustainability.

As for Arsenal fan Kular, she just hopes her club “will continue to promote the message”. Ever the optimistic fan, she believes the impact can spread to a global fan base and create lasting change. Let’s hope she’s right.