I’ve always loved football and cared about sustainability, so when the opportunity came to develop a project through the FA Leadership Academy, combining the two felt like a natural fit. SustainaBall Consulting came out of that process, and I’m really excited to share a bit about what it is and where it’s heading.

Where the Idea Came From

The FA Leadership Academy covers a lot of ground, and during conversations with other participants, sustainability in football kept coming up as an area where more could be done — particularly at grassroots level. There are initiatives out there already, that are genuinely inspiring and impactful. But most of what exists tends to focus on awareness and education: events, campaigns, workplace programmes. What I couldn’t find was something that looks into clubs’ operations and works alongside them directly.

My project started out focused on community sustainability events, but as I developed it further, I realised that what clubs actually need is something more practical and ongoing — a base of support that helps them understand where they are and take manageable steps forward. That’s what led me to the consulting model.

Non-league and grassroots clubs are run by volunteers. They’re not short of goodwill, but they are short of time, resource, and often just a clear starting point. So practical solutions and hands-on guidance, with continuous support — that’s the gap I wanted to fill.

What SustainaBall Consulting Does

SustainaBall Consulting is a non-profit initiative that works with non-league and grassroots football clubs to help them adopt more sustainable practices. It’s very much a volunteering project at its heart — the goal is simply to make sustainability more accessible for clubs that don’t have a dedicated resource for it.

We start by carrying out a sustainability assessment with each club, looking at areas like energy use, waste, matchday operations, and travel. From there, clubs receive a straightforward action plan with practical recommendations that are realistic for a grassroots environment. We also support clubs in engaging their communities — whether that’s through workshops, awareness campaigns, or working with local schools and fan groups.

Underpinning everything we do is the United Nations’ framework of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We use the SDGs as our benchmark throughout — mapping each club’s assessment and action plan against them to ensure our work addresses the issues the UN has identified as most critical, and to give clubs a credible, globally recognised standard to measure their progress against.

What We Are Hoping to Achieve

Over the course of 2026, we are aiming to work with five clubs across the UK, delivering audits, running workshops, and publishing an annual Impact Report to share what we’ve learned. The ambition is to build something that clubs find genuinely useful — a friendly, supportive resource that helps grassroots football become a bit greener, one club at a time.

I’m passionate about football and want to see it thrive for many years to come. If you’re involved in a non-league or grassroots club and are curious about where to start with sustainability, feel free to get in touch — I’d love to have a conversation.

Find out more: www.sustainaball.co.uk