Research Background
What is the main sport analyzed in the study?
Soccer
The authors studied this number of sustainability reports from sport organizations
94
Most football stadiums do not have this formal environmental framework, such as ISO 14001 or EMAS
Environmental Management System (EMS)
Many stadiums replaced old lights with these energy-saving fixtures
LED
The study recommends adding these types of environmental criteria to procurement processes
Sustainability or green purchasing standards
The football stadiums were located on which continent?
Europe
The researchers conducted this number of case studies across different European countries.
6
Stadiums rarely assign staff to this specific environmental leadership position
environmental manager
This type of system collects and reuses rainfall to reduce water consumption
Rainwater Collection System
The authors note that sharing this type of information between clubs and leagues could improve sustainability performance
Best practices or peer benchmarking data
This EU funded project supported the research and focused on sustainability in football
Life Tackle Project
The study used this research approach, often used to explore “how” questions
Qualitative
Many sustainability actions are driven by this motivation rather than genuine ecological concern
Image building or reputational gain
These barriers often prevent stadiums from installing recycling bins due to safety concerns
Security and crowd control issues
One major limitation of the study is that it only focused on this region’s football organizations
Europe
UEFA
Interviews in the study were conducted with these people
stadium managers and staff responsible for environmental practices
Many sustainability actions are driven by this motivation rather than genuine ecological concern
Economic efficiency and cost savings
Some stadiums in warm climates struggle with this environmental issue, leading to high irrigation needs
Water Scarcity
Most environmental actions studied were short-term and economically motivated, described metaphorically as this type of fruit
low-hanging fruits
The researchers aimed to study how stadium managers tackle these two dimensions of sustainability
Governance and Operational Level
Stadiums were selected from countries including Italy, Spain, Sweden, and this Eastern European nation
Romania
The authors describe football’s sustainability stage as this early phase where awareness exists, but systemic action does not
“early structuration stage” or the first wave of environmentalism
This Swedish stadium had to import natural grass because of cold climate limitations
Friends Arena in Solna
The authors conclude that football’s environmental management is still this developmental stage compared to other industries
Infancy or an immature stage