As Green Football’s Great Save continues into its third season, footballers, celebrities, and designers are encouraging people to sell, re-use, or donate old kit, to extend its life and keep it out of landfill.
Famous faces from across the country have been decluttering their wardrobes and donating sports items to highlight the impact of climate change on the game and the importance of giving pre-loved sportswear a second life.
Popping up on eBay charity auction until the end of March, items up for grabs a t https://www.ebay.co.uk/e/collectables/green-footballs-auction will include:
- Rio Ferdinand signed Manchester United shirt
- Gary Neville & Roy Keane signed Manchester United Shirt
- Ethan Ampadu match-worn signed shirt from Leeds United full team
- Mary Earps’ goalkeeping gloves
- Peter Crouch’s signed trainers
- Demi Stokes’ signed Newcastle United training top
- Mark Schwarzer exact replica boots worn during World Cup & Europa league finals
- Kris Boyd match-worn signed Scotland shirt
- Martin Keown’s own Arsenal training top. Signed.
- Three upcycled football shirts transformed into unique, limited-edition designer KIT:BAGs by Christopher Raeburn, reworking England, Wales, and Scotland kits
There will be more to come!
To take action against climate change and protect the future of the game, people across the UK are also encouraged to list their own pre-loved sportswear—helping to reduce waste, save money, and support those in the community who may otherwise lack access to kit. In fact, 32% of fans say they’d be motivated to repurpose their old kit if they could make money from it.
This matters because every year, an estimated 100,000 tonnes of sportswear ends up in UK landfills¹—the equivalent of 951 football shirts every minute².
With Gen Z (39%) and millennial fans (38%) leading the way in purchasing second-hand or vintage football kit, this movement is helping to extend the life of kit and reduce waste. Keeping kit in play for just nine more months could reduce its carbon, water, and waste footprint by up to 30%.³
From replica team shirts (49%) to training wear (32%) and football boots (31%), many fans own kit that has rarely or never been worn. Over a fifth (21%) have goalkeeper gloves collecting dust, while nearly a fifth (19%) have shin pads they’ve never used. The campaign aims to turn these forgotten items into valuable resources for others, as more than a fifth (22%) of fans see second-hand kit as an affordable way to access training gear, and 19% choose second hand kit for environmental reasons.
For more information on all activities and how to get involved, visit www.greenfootball.org.
Funds raised will go to support club community organisations’ work with local communities and also to build the fourth season of the charity campaign Green Football.