Stories Archives - Green Football's Great Save

Story

28 March 2025

Photographer Paul Gilbey captures the impact of climate change on grassroots football

Paul Gilbey is a freelance photographer whose distinctive style captures the energy and emotion of sport and culture in a single frame. His work has been featured in The Guardian, BBC, The Independent, La Repubblica, and more. But it’s his passion for documenting the raw, authentic spirit of grassroots football that truly sets him apart.

For Paul, grassroots football is more than just a game. It’s a community. A feeling. A reminder of what really matters.

“Sometimes, it’s not just about the goals, the banter, or the results, It’s about friends, family, and football.”

His powerful images bring to life the joy, connection, and commitment that unfold every week across muddy pitches up and down the country. From the sidelines packed with partners, kids, and encouragement, to the early Sunday morning rituals that become sacred routines, Paul captures it all.

“On Sunday mornings, it’s not just the game. It’s a reminder of what the perfect life should be.”

“The sidelines may be filled with partners, kids, and questions, but the heart of the game is still family.”

But this way of life is under threat. Over 100,000 grassroots matches are already cancelled each season due to waterlogged or unplayable pitches. Climate change is taking its toll. Rising rainfall, extreme weather, and unpredictable seasons are turning once-reliable community pitches into swamps. If we don’t act now, we risk losing more than just games.

“It’s hard to question ‘This is more than a team’ when you see the passion on those Sunday mornings.”

“Grassroots football isn’t just about playing. It’s about creating memories with those who matter most.”

“In the middle of a muddy field, with a ball at your feet, you realize. This is family.”

It’s time to make The Great Save and protect the pitches, the players, and the shared moments that make grassroots football what it is.

A huge thanks to Paul for donating his photographs to Green Football’s Great Save campaign.

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21 March 2025

Meet the charities passing it on

Football has the power to unite communities, but not everyone has access to the kit they need to play. That’s where brilliant charities step in, collecting, redistributing, and passing on pre-loved sportswear to those who need it most.

Charity Boots collects and redistributes football boots and kits to players who need them, ensuring everyone can get on the pitch. They work with schools, grassroots clubs, and community groups to make sure donated kit gets to the right places. You can donate by dropping off items at one of their collection points or post them for free via DHL.

KitAid has been sending sportswear to developing countries for over 25 years, helping to grow the game where kit is hard to come by. They partner with professional clubs, local teams, and individuals to collect and distribute kit globally. Donations can be made at designated collection hubs, through football club partnerships or by post or courier.

Kits for the World provides football kit and equipment to disadvantaged communities worldwide, supporting grassroots football and development programs. They collaborate with other charities and community organisations to distribute kit where it is most needed. You can donate directly via their website or through their partnered collection points.

And these are just a few of the organisations keeping football kit in the game. If you’ve got an old kit at home, passing it on could help someone else step onto the pitch.

Have you donated kit or sportswear to one of these brilliant organisations – or somewhere else? Tell us you’ve made the Great Save to be in with a chance to win prizes.

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20 March 2025

Giving old football kit a new life: RÆBURN’s limited-edition KIT:BAG

Every football shirt tells a story. It’s there for the glory days and the heartbreaks. It carries the names of heroes and the memories of crucial games. But when the final whistle blows, too many of these shirts are thrown away and sent to landfill. Each year in the UK, an estimated 100,000 tonnes of football kit goes to waste. Now, RÆBURN, the fashion brand founded by award-winning designer Christopher Ræburn, is stepping in to shine a light on reusing kit.

As part of Green Football’s Great Save, RÆBURN has created a collection of limited-edition KIT:BAGs, each one crafted from authentic national football shirts. England, Wales and Scotland – reimagined and remade in his East London studio into something new. Functional, beautiful, and filled with the same pride they once carried on the pitch.

Even Wales and Leeds United star Ethan Ampadu has joined the cause, donating one of his own Wales shirts to be remade into a bespoke KIT:BAG. “It’s cool to see how an old shirt can be reused into something like this, which can be used every day,” Ampadu said. “Every year, a huge amount of sports kit gets thrown away, when it could be reused, repurposed, or passed on to someone who needs it. If each of us does something small to cut waste and give our sportswear a second life, we can make a big difference.”

The RÆBURN KIT:BAGs aren’t just accessories. They’re a reminder that every save counts. Christopher Raeburn puts it simply: “There’s an enormous opportunity for remaking and recycling old football kit. My hope is that there will be many creative solutions like KIT:BAG that help to celebrate football shirts in a totally new format.”

The limited-edition KIT:BAGs will be available via a special eBay auction. All proceeds will support the work of Green Football’s Great Save.

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4 March 2025

The Marshall Islands’ disappearing kit

In the Marshall Islands, football is more than just a game. It is a fight for survival. The island nation, home to just 42,000 people, is battling rising sea levels threatening to wipe it off the map. Now, its football team is using the sport to send a message about climate change, starting with a kit that is vanishing before our eyes.

Football in the Marshall Islands is only just beginning. Until recently, the country had no team and no 11-a-side pitch. Their first full-size pitch, built for the 2023 Micronesian Games, only got approval because it also serves as a sea defence. That is how serious the climate threat is.

This year, the Marshall Islands Soccer Federation launched the no home jersey. Decorated with the islands’ unique flora, fauna and cultural emblems, the design carries a powerful message. The number 1.5 is printed on every jersey, marking the 1.5 degrees Celsius global temperature rise that could be catastrophic for Pacific island nations. In addition, each time the federation posted an image of the shirt online, more of the shirt disappeared, mirroring the land being lost to the rising ocean. That is why they used football to tell their story and fight back.

Green Football’s Great Save is using the power of football to protect our planet. Just as the Marshall Islands’ disappearing kit highlights the threat of rising seas, football waste is another crisis harming the game. Every season, 120,000 grassroots matches in the UK are cancelled due to flooding. Now, fans, clubs, and leagues are stepping up to make the great save, keeping kit in play instead of throwing it away.

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3 March 2025

How to make the Great Save

Every year, an estimated 100,000 tonnes of sportswear ends up in UK landfills. If this clothing were distributed among a packed crowd at Wembley Stadium (90,000 people), each person would receive over 2,500 pieces of clothing.

But we can do something to help – keeping your kit in play for just nine more months could reduce its carbon, water, and waste footprint by up to 30%.

We’re coming together to donate, sell or reuse football kits to reduce the amount of sportswear ending up in landfill every year.

Here’s how you can do this:

Pass your kit to someone who needs it – this helps increase access to the kit we need to enjoy the game, and has a positive impact on the environment. This could be giving it to your friends and family or donating it through our collection points across the UK, including at your club, at your local Salvation Army shop where we have dedicated drop off points or post it to them for free using their kit postal service.
Sell your preloved kit – There’s huge untapped value in the kit sitting in the back of our wardrobes. Sell it through your preferred resale platform to do something good for the planet and your pocket.
Reuse the kit you already have – You can reduce your environmental impact by simply wearing kit for longer. So keep wearing that lucky shirt – and, when it’s too worn, consider mending it or using the fabric to make something else. Check out the stories on our site for inspiration.

Tell us you’ve done it for a chance to win prizes

Let us know you’ve made the Great Save by donating, selling on or reusing your kit – and you’ll be entered into a draw to win prizes including 12 months’ free Sky Sports and Ultra Boost, tickets to the Sky Bet Championship Play-off Final at Wembley, a signed 23/24 Lionesses shirt and more.