Scottish football shows its support for Green Football’s Great Save

Ally McCoist fronts campaign film encouraging people to sell on, re-use or donate old kit, rather than kick it to the back of the landfill net.

Kris Boyd, Tessal Middag, Kerr Waddell, Emma Ilijoski, Kerry Beattie and Cammy Blues take part in secret charity shop drop for Green Football’s Great Save

Fans can bring sportswear to donate at the Sports Cup Final and SPFL Trust Trophy Finals, with clubs across the country also hosting Green Football donation bins.

Scottish football icon Ally McCoist fronts Green Football's Great Save promotional film.

Fans can win a year’s free Sky Sports and other prizes by taking part, as well as scoring goals for their club in the Green Football Cup - more info at greenfootball.org.

Scottish football – including a host of clubs, current players and legends of the Scottish game – are showing their support for Green Football’s Great Save, the world’s biggest climate-football campaign, which brings together the football community - fans, players, clubs, leagues, grassroots teams and schools - to take action to tackle climate change and protect the future of the game.

This year the campaign, which is running from March 11 to April 2, is all about keeping sports kit in play for longer by donating, selling, reusing or upcycling - helping to reduce waste, save money, and support communities who may lack access to kit.

Every year, an estimated 100,000 tonnes of sportswear ends up in UK landfills - the equivalent to 951 football shirts every minute. Clothing sent to landfill can take decades to break down and contribute to methane emissions - a powerful greenhouse gas which fuels climate change. Keeping kit in play for just nine more months could reduce its carbon, water, and waste footprint by up to 30%.

Kris Boyd donates signed shirts at a Salvation Army store in Kilmarnock.

Climate change is threatening the future of football, with an estimated 100,000 grassroots games cancelled every year due to pitch conditions.

Commenting on the SPFL’s support for the initiative, Neil Doncaster, SPFL Group Chief Executive, said: “The SPFL is proud to be supporting Green Football’s Great Save this season. It is great so many SPFL clubs are already taking positive steps in this area by introducing sustainable initiatives, as well as making changes to their day to day working approaches. We believe that by shining a light on these important projects and encouraging supporters to get involved in the Great Save, we can showcase the powerful role football can play in driving positive change. The SPFL, SWPL and SPFL Trust will be showing their support for the Great Save campaign at the upcoming Sky Sports Cup Final and SPFL Trust Trophy Final, where donation bins will be available for fans to donate old kit."

The Sky Sports Cup final between Hibernian and Rangers at Fir Park (22nd March) and the SPFL Trust Trophy final between Livingston and Queen’s Park at the Falkirk Stadium (30th March) will support Green Football’s Great Save campaign, with fans having the opportunity to bring their used sportswear to put into special donation bins at the venues.

Current Scottish footballers and a series of legends are making a series of surprise charity shop drops across the country, donating their signed sports kit for fans to find. The initiative encourages others to give pre-loved sportswear a second life and highlights the importance of keeping kit in play.

Emma Ilijoski and Kerry Beattie donate a signed shirt to the Salvation Army on the Great Northern Road, Aberdeen, for Green Football's Great Save.

Fans can find the signed kit at Salvation Army shops Kilmarnock, Aberdeen, Glasgow, Montrose and Morton, with Cammy Blues on sale in Greenock’s Ardgowan Hospice charity shop.

Other players, such as Rangers’ Jane Ross, are supporting the campaign, while Scottish football icon Ally McCoist fronted the campaign’s launch film.

Additionally, clubs across Scotland, including Rangers, Heart of Midlothian, Hibernian, Aberdeen, Dundee United, Kilmarnock and Montrose are collecting used kit from fans through the campaign to donate to communities and charity shops. Morton will be holding a kit swap shop, with fans bringing old kit and taking home what they need.

Former Scotland striker now Sky Sports pundit, Kris Boyd, said: “Green Football is such an important initiative as climate change continues to impact the game we love. There are things we can all do to help protect our game, and passing on old kit is one of them. This not only keeps things out of landfill, but it gives sportswear a longer life for more people to enjoy. I made 296 league appearances in the Scottish Premier League so I have worn a lot of football shirts in my time. I hope people across Scotland follow my example and dig out their old kit, not just football but any sportswear, and donate it for Green Football’s Great Save.”

Hearts defender Emma Ilijoski, who is currently on-loan at Aberdeen, said: "It was great getting the girls together to sign this special shirt to support such an important cause. Already this year we’ve seen how more extreme weather events like Storm Éowyn have led to games being called off. But while it can feel overwhelming, by coming together like this, we can harness the incredible power of football to reduce the impacts of climate change.”

Football fans will also have the opportunity to score for their club in the Green Football Cup, by taking green pledges and actions, such as donating kit, travelling greener, eating more veg and saving energy. By scanning the QR code to show they’ve taken part, fans can also win prizes including a year’s free Sky Sports and match tickets.

People can also donate used sportswear in charity shops or from the comfort of their own homes with the help of official charity partner, The Salvation Army, which has a dedicated kit postal service. Supporters can also keep kit out of landfill by selling pre-loved sportswear on eBay, another Green Football partner. And from 20th March, fans will have the added opportunity of snapping up celebrity-owned sports kit in an exclusive eBay auction, together with limited edition Raeburn Green Football KIT:BAGs upcycled from used football shirts.

“Football has an unequalled power to drive change, and it’s incredible to see so many clubs, fans, grassroots teams and players coming together to help save kit from landfill. Whether it’s donating a shirt or finding a new purpose for old kit, every action contributes to reducing waste, promoting sustainability in football and helping to protect the game we love. There’s a huge opportunity for the footballing community to lead the way in sport when it comes to kit. None of us are perfect, but by being on the journey together, we can make a real difference,” said Sarah Jacobs, Green Football Director.

Green Football’s Great Save is co-founded by Sky Sports, TNT Sports, the Football Supporters Association, Pledgeball, Count Us In and exceptional. It is backed by the FA, various EFL clubs, WPLL, SPFL, SWPL, the PFA in the UK and Australia, and PGMOL.

For more information on all the activities and how to get involved, go to www.greenfootball.org.