UEFA-EFC: One year of partnership for a more sustainable game

In launching a joint Sustainability Cooperation Plan last year, UEFA and European Football Clubs (EFC) committed to working directly with football clubs to help them embed sustainability into both long-term planning and everyday operations.

Covering the 2025/26 and 2026/27 seasons, the plan involves supporting clubs to develop tailored sustainability strategies, offering educational support, and facilitating three-way dialogue between clubs, associations and leagues.

One year into the plan, it has become part of a wider positioning of sustainability as a strategic investment – one that benefits society while creating long-term value for football.

Taking the conversation across Europe

Since October, nine in-person sustainability roadshow sessions have been delivered alongside EFC, hosted by either the national association, the league or a club in Belgium, Czechia, England, France, Greece, Hungary, Portugal, Spain and Türkiye.

Each session brought together clubs, leagues and national associations to discuss the local sustainability landscape, share experiences and identify common challenges and areas in which further support is needed. A total of 185 clubs were involved across the nine events.

The Royal Spanish Football Federation hosted one of the sustainability roadshows

The discussions highlighted the varied picture across European football and areas for further development. Some clubs are already working with dedicated teams, formal strategies and sustainability reporting, while others are starting from more focused initiatives.

Football for people with disabilities and accessibility are priorities for clubs in Greece, for example. Stadium energy efficiency is a focus in Türkiye, while in France, clubs’ environmental responsibility and the means of transport they use to travel with their professional teams are among the criteria for obtaining the licence required to play in the top-tier leagues under the points-based system.

The sessions also demonstrated the value of getting the wider football ecosystem around one table. In several countries, clubs with more advanced sustainability activities are supporting others, while national associations and leagues are exploring how licensing, guidance and shared learning can give that progress more structure.

Deepening expertise

Alongside the in-person dialogue sessions, five joint UEFA-EFC webinars provided sustainability managers and club representatives with additional detailed guidance on specific topics.

Across the series, 761 participants from 357 EFC member clubs attended sessions on equality, diversity and inclusion, climate action, health and wellbeing, child and youth protection and UEFA’s club licensing system – a key driver of raising standards across Europe, by establishing sustainability requirements for clubs competing in UEFA competitions.

The UEFA-EFC partnership is facilitating dialogue between clubs, associations and leagues

The second edition of the Sustainability in Football Compact Course provided another opportunity to turn insight into action in June. Delivered in partnership with EFC and SDA Bocconi business school, the intensive four-day programme brought together sustainability managers from clubs and national associations to strengthen their expertise and develop sustainability action plans for their organisations.

The Sustainability Cooperation Plan will continue throughout the 2026/27 season, building on the relationships and momentum created over the past year. The next sustainability dialogue event will take place in Copenhagen in August, kicking off another season of joint efforts to make sustainability fundamental to how European football clubs operate.