Teamwork key to tackling climate change through sport

Local Sustainability Networks made up of grassroots groups, partnerships and organisations can help deliver positive change at the local level, with sport being a key driver of community action to address climate and nature issues.

A pilot project, led by Yorkshire & Humber Climate Commission in partnership with Active Humber, Yorkshire Sport Foundation, and North Yorkshire Sport, developed a regional network looking at how sport and activity can thrive in a changing climate.

The Yorkshire and Humber sustainability network, which was developed over the course of the six-month project, now has over 100 members, including 59 sport organisations (primarily local) alongside place-based partners, national governing bodies and active partnerships.

Findings from the pilot, which was commissioned by Sport England to support its Every Move sustainability strategy, were presented at the first-ever Yorkshire and Humber Climate and Sport Conference on 26 August in Hull, which brought groups together to learn how sport and physical activity can contribute to a more sustainable future.

David Gent, CEO of conference host Active Humber and co-chair of Yorkshire & Humber Climate Commission’s public affairs steering group, said: “The challenge for all of us in the sports sector is that the weather stops us from playing. It can be too hot. We can have flooded pitches, or there’s too much wind.

“So if we all work together and put in the facilities and the places that can cope with that, then we can keep on playing.”

Also taking part in the conference from Yorkshire and Humber Climate Commission was Associate member Steve Scott-Bottoms, who shared the powerful climate adaptation toolkit, Pam’s Story, and Project and Impact Officer Stephen Kirk (pictured), who led the pilot study.

Stephen said: “The pilot we ran in Yorkshire and Humber highlighted the role of teamwork in tackling the changing climate, something that we know sports groups and organisations excel at.

“There’s a huge amount of passion within the network, sharing solutions, sharing challenges and barriers – and, crucially, being able to work together to figure out what the best outcome is when faced with the impacts of extreme weather.”

A report, Developing the Yorkshire and Humber Sustainability Network for Movement, Activity and Sport, highlights the value of the network and the environmental and community benefits such networks can  support, illustrated by examples of good practice from around the region.

These include:

•  Bradford City AFC’s Greener Bantams, which plant a tree for every goal as part of a whole-system approach that taps in to community pride;
• Airecentre Pacers Run Club, which has embedded measures to reduce the environmental impact of its large-scale public events;
• Village Green in North Yorkshire, which integrates climate awareness into a wide range of outdoor activities,
• West Hull Community Hub, the home of West Hull ARLFC and  one of only two Rugby League wellbeing  hubs providing warm spaces, homework support, and veterans’ sessions alongside nature reserve field trips and restoring local wildlife.

While the report identified positive examples of what’s working across the region, it also highlighted numerous barriers and challenges that further developing the Yorkshire and Humber Local Sustainability Network could help overcome. These include knowledge sharing and learning, building connections, identifying solutions (and how to achieve them), understanding what support is available, multi-level networking, and access to tools through online training sessions, as well as wider benefits such as support with sustainability action plans, joining up initiatives, and fostering cross-sector partnerships.

Download the report