Greener Game energy surveys underway at grassroots clubs
E.ON Next's partnership with The FA aimed at helping grassroots football clubs improve their energy efficiency is now well underway.
As a key part of our partnership with The Football Association (The FA) – Greener Game – towards the end of last year we successfully completed several energy audits and installed solutions for grassroots football clubs in England.
Among the recipients was Moulton Football club, where we made recommendations including solar PV, a solar thermal system, new roof insulation, and new lighting that in total could save the club as much as £5,881 on their energy bills.
This was just the beginning for E.ON Next and The FA’s ongoing collaborative project, which will help grassroots clubs across the country to lower both their bills and emissions by providing similar audits, club house upgrades, and self-service kits, leaving them with more money to pour back into sport for local communities.
In fact, as of February 2025 we have officially started rolling out support to a eligible England Football accredited clubs, and in the space of just one week between February 18th and 25th were able to complete energy surveys at Bourne Town Football Club, Calverton Miners Welfare Football Club, Long Bennington Football Club, Harborough Town Football Club, and Rugby Borough Football Club.
Participating clubs will receive advice and assistance to install measures ranging from insulation and window upgrades to solar panels, battery storage, and heat pumps, all of which stand to make a meaningful difference to both their yearly outgoings and their carbon footprints. This may especially be the case for Calverton Miners Welfare Football Club, where our E.ON Control Solutions auditor found the club was still relying on a 1970s coal-fired system that had been converted to run on gas for heating – a solution that is considerably less efficient than modern alternatives.
This year we expect to visit at least 100 clubs across the country and we have audits lined up from Tyne and Wear to Devon and Dorset, with plenty of locations in between.
In a nationally representative poll of 2,000 people we recently commissioned from YouGov, a significant majority of 76% agreed that “helping local sports clubs to install sustainability measures so they can save on bills and focus their resources on the community is a good way for energy companies to give something back.”
We think they’re right, which is why – with The FA’s help – we’re so excited to engage with even more grassroots clubs in future rounds, all while continuing to support people and communities across the country through partnerships with sports teams like Veloce Racing, cities like Coventry, and a whole range of businesses that, like us, are committed to making new energy work.
Find out more about Greener Game at the England Football website, here.