Every minute, the equivalent of 951 football shirts are sent to UK landfills, according to the charity Green Football. That’s an estimated 100,000 tonnes of sportswear. Not such a sporting look.
Enter Green Football’s Great Save, an annual campaign that launched afresh this week. The initiative will see football greats such as Jamie Carragher and Roy Keane carry out secret drops of their preloved, signed kit to charity shops across the country. The idea is to highlight the importance of keeping sports kit in play for longer, by donating, selling, reusing or upcycling it.
Demi Stokes, of Newcastle United Women, is a supporter: “When I was younger, my mum paid for my football kit in monthly instalments, and we made sure it lasted for years,” she said. “That experience taught me two things: how valuable and important it is to have access to good kit and why it’s important to keep reusing it. That’s why I’ve donated some Newcastle kit and trainers. I love the idea that instead of sitting unused, it can now help someone else stay in the game, while also reducing waste.”
More than 100 clubs across the UK and Australia are taking part in the campaign, with some hosting on-site repair services and sewing lessons with players, all while encouraging fans to donate their own used kit.
Keep your eyes peeled for Ethan Ampadu’s (pictured) – signed – first Leeds United captain shirt turning up in Ripon and Josie Green’s Crystal Palace kit making an appearance in Welwyn Garden City.
Image: Nick Porter
