Pledgeball is an innovative Bristol-based project and Partnership member that asks football fans to ‘Pledge-Off’ against opponents for each fixture. The Pledge-Off champion for each fixture is the team whose group of fans pledge to save the most CO2e. Pledgeball has just partnered with Whitehawk FC in Brighton, launching at their first home game on Saturday 26th!

“Whitehawk FC are delighted to announce a new and innovative partnership with Bristol-based organisation Pledgeball, to encourage Hawks fans within the Brighton community to make small, easy changes to their lifestyle and collectively make a big impact on carbon emissions, plus, have the chance to challenge opposition fans to do the same with fun and inspirational initiatives!”

Before every Hawks home game this season, Pledgeball will highlight a specific initiative to reduce carbon emissions, and fans will be encouraged to ‘pledge’ their support by making small changes to their daily lives. That pledge will then be valued against their opponents’ pledges, and a ‘Pledgeball league table’ will follow the club’s progress. www.pledgeball.org/fixtures/
The club will encourage its fanbase and local communities to sign up to Pledgeball, and will announce special events throughout the season. Small changes that can be made can collectively make a huge difference; If four hundred Hawks’ fans simply reduced their shower-time to five minutes, they’d save the same amount of CO2e as taking over thirty cars off the road!

Other simple initiatives include:

• Using a shampoo bar instead of a bottle
• use recycled toilet paper
• reduce meat consumption by 50%
• wash clothes at 30°C
• keep phone chargers, TVs and computers off at the wall
• buy only second-hand items where possible
• switch to a green energy supplier
• walk or cycle if the journey is under 2 miles…

Pledgeball has already helped fans and other members of the community reduce carbon emissions by 428,835kg – the equivalent of taking ninety-three cars off the road, but this is the first time the organization has partnered with a club.

Pledgeball Founder, and Bristol player, Katie Cross said;

“As Nelson Mandela said ‘Sport has the power to change the world’. Football, with its huge community and prominence in our lives, is a perfect sport to bring about the changes we need to protect our planet. Pledgeball are delighted to be partnering with the amazing Whitehawk FC this season, a club that can already boast about bringing about so much positive change. We can’t wait to see the power of the Whitehawk fanbase as they get pledgeballed this season, and out-pledge the opposition! Thank you Whitehawk!’

More information:

Find out more about Pledgeball here: www.pledgeball.org, on Instagram @pledge_ball or Twitter @Pledgeball1