When the ball rolls in the Bundesliga on weekends, tens of thousands of fans have often made their way to the stadium from all over Germany – mostly by car. This often causes traffic jams stretching for kilometers in front of the stadium, air pollution and noise.
In addition, there is the bratwurst, which is a must when visiting a stadium and causes a massive consumption of disposable tableware. Before the season, the club also got fit at a training camp abroad – accompanied by a entourage of fans, sponsors and media representatives. These are just a few examples of the climate-damaging effects associated with German professional football.
Professional clubs should meet sustainability criteria
In the future, the 36 teams of the DFL should be better positioned in such matters, both ecologically, economically and socially sustainability criteria fulfill. From the 2023/24 season, these criteria will become a mandatory part of the licensing process. “This means that German professional football is playing a pioneering role internationally,” sustainability expert Tanja Ferkau told DW. The founder and managing director of the German non-governmental organization IMPCT helped develop the sustainability standards for the DFL. These are divided into two categories and are to come into force gradually – the first fully for the coming season.
These include minimum criteria such as proof of a sustainability strategy, an environmental strategy and a code of conduct. The clubs should measure their CO2 footprint, manage the playing field and the club’s own buildings sustainably in the long term: control energy, water and heating systems sustainably, introduce “smart” lighting and, for example, also fertilize the lawn sustainably. In the future, the number, time and use of the means of transport will be analyzed and optimized, and a food concept for sustainable nutrition will be developed.
Criteria can also be implemented for third division promoters
“The decisive thing now is the implementation, which takes place in individual steps of a building specification and sharpening of the criteria,” explains Ferkau. It is an immense challenge to transform an organization like the 1st and 2nd Bundesliga with billions in sales, different shareholders and stakeholders to sustainability.
“Depending on the maturity of sustainability in the respective clubs, the criteria are easier or more difficult to meet. But they can be implemented by everyone.” Some criteria could have been stricter, but Ferkau points out that one has to make sure that they can also be implemented for a third division promoted player.
For many, the bratwurst is part of a visit to the stadium – the clubs should present a food concept for sustainable nutrition in the future
Some clubs have come a long way on the subject, others not. For some criteria, the clubs get a year more time. If they don’t implement the criteria, they don’t have to fear any penalties – so the license is actually not really in danger, criticized former DFL managing director Andreas Rettig on Deutschlandfunk: “I would have liked a different standard. I remember them At that time, the youth academies were introduced in 2006. We used a sharp sword. We said: If you don’t invest in young talent and don’t meet the criteria, you won’t get a license. That’s completely absent here.”
The clubs are “committed” by the change in the statutes, i.e. obliged to move, countered Ferkau’s criticism. “The clubs’ self-motivation is currently high, since the stakeholders are demanding more sustainability anyway. The pressure has increased massively here in the last 18 months. On top of that, the topic of sanctions versus rewards is still being discussed.”
In any case, the procedure is unique internationally, according to Ferkau: “As far as I know, no other league has developed its own sustainability standard. The DFL deserves praise for the clarity of the approach.” German professional football has many pioneers in individual subject areas: ecological orientation of the stadium, waste management, merchandising or social commitment.
Mainz 05 has been climate-neutral for twelve years
FSV Mainz 05, for example, sees itself as one of these pioneers: “The principles of sustainability, resource conservation and energy saving have been firmly anchored at Mainz 05 since 2010. We have been the first climate-neutral club in the Bundesliga since 2010, and we are working on this status every year since then,” Tobias Rinauer from Mainz 05 told DW. He shares the tasks in the area of sustainability with a colleague.
Since 2016, the lighting in the stadium – including the floodlights – has been switched to LED and a heat meter has been installed for the turf heating. “Sustainability in all its facets has long been part of Mainz 05’s DNA and is therefore always very high on the agenda,” said Rinauer.
The floodlights in Mainz 05 were completely converted to LED
1. FC Köln is the first Bundesliga club to have a TÜV certificate for sustainable corporate management. RB Leipzig has already presented a sustainability concept. And second division club FC St. Pauli says they produce “the most sustainable team sports collection in the world”.
All of these measures would also benefit the clubs in view of the energy crisis, says Tanja Ferkau: “So I see a double motivation and sense for the clubs at this point – supported by the challenges of rising energy prices. For the clubs, this is paying off right now (Partial) energy self-sufficiency: those who opted for renewable energies years ago will be rewarded today.”