How Manchester’s football community is winning on sustainability

Liverpool may be setting the pace when it comes to the race for the Premier League title this season, but it could be argued that the people of Manchester should take heart from the fact that the city is winning in other important ways when it comes to football.

Sustainability and environmental concerns have risen up many people’s agendas in the last few years, and the issues have not been lost on one of Manchester’s key football-related landmarks, which is now doing its bit to promote the benefits of being eco-friendly.

A sustainable strip

AboutManchester.co.uk recently revealed how the National Football Museum based in the city has introduced a new shirt for its staff to wear, with the clothing being manufactured by PlayerLayer from a 50 percent sustainable bamboo mix.

The mix is the same as the materials used in the current shirts of Forest Green Rovers, while the museum’s shirts also feature a design inspired by the local artist and illustrator Stanley Chow.

Each shirt also includes the number 12 on the back in tribute to the idea of fans acting as the ‘twelfth man’ for many teams, while its launch coincides with the opening of the new ‘Strip! How Football Got Shirty’ exhibition, which examines the impact that football shirts have had on culture, fashion and technology.

Reds and blues go green

The museum is far from the only key institution in Manchester’s footballing community to take steps on tackling sustainability issues, however.

Manchester United and Manchester City are undoubtedly fierce rivals on the pitch year after year, with the city’s derbies being among the biggest dates in the British sporting calendar. They are undoubtedly fixtures which attract a huge amount of interest, with some fans even going as far as trying to predict the outcome of the matches and use the best free bet deals offered by leading brands to win money in the process.

However, while the sides are undeniably competitive, they are both united when it comes to the issue of their sustainability performance and the importance of being green. Just last month, research by BBC Sport and Sport Positive Summit found that City and United were joint top of the Premier League when it comes to sustainability. Clubs were awarded a point by researchers if they had initiatives in place related to eight key categories including energy efficiency and waste management. The two Manchester sides scored full marks in the study, sharing the top spot with two other fierce rivals – Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.

Setting an eco-friendly example

The news of the National Football Museum’s new bamboo shirts and the performance of the two Manchester clubs in BBC Sport’s sustainability research is hugely welcome. Not only is it positive to see each of the organisations treating the issue seriously, but it also suggests that the football community in the city is keen to set an example on it too.

It will be fascinating to see if they all can develop their green credentials across the coming years and whether new initiatives will emerge as they continue to put the environment first.