When clubs affiliate with Birmingham County FA for the forthcoming season they will be asked to sign the Sustainability Pledge, which is linked to simple and small lifestyle changes that collectively make a huge impact on the planet.

For many, climate change is a difficult and complex subject to connect with – it is hard to know what to do and whether, as individuals, we can make a difference. Pledgeball offers a mechanism by which behaviour change can be brought about in a fun and easy way, empowering individuals by demonstrating the potential impact we can have by making small lifestyle changes, particularly in association with our football clubs.

Pledgeball already offer the facility for football fans to support their professional club and have recently announced partnerships with Huddersfield Town Supporters’ Association and Bristol City Football Club.

Football offers an unparalleled platform to bring about this change and Pledgeball offers a means by which to do this. Katie Cross, Founder of Pledgeball, said: “As a member of Bristol-based Misfits WFC, I am well aware of the potential for teams and clubs to make change happen. The football community is a unique place from which to initiate transformational change, with the regular fixtures, the unity, the wide-reach and the emotion that accompanies the sport. I am delighted about the partnership with Birmingham County FA – our potential to have a real impact, both in reducing our footprints and in spreading this much further afield, is huge.”

Richard Lindsay, Business Insights Manager at Birmingham County FA and Project Lead for Save Today, Play Tomorrow, added: “We are excited to have partnered with Pledgeball for the forthcoming season. To be able to bring our clubs on this journey of change is fantastic, and through their digital platform they have developed a really engaging way for football to consider lifestyle alternatives and to be able to visualise the positive impact this has had on our environment.”

By its very nature football is competitive and for those clubs that sign up to Pledgeball they will be able to see in real-time a Birmingham County FA league table showing how their club or team is performing based on the Carbon emission saving activities they pledge to complete. Success will be celebrated and for those clubs involved Birmingham County FA has ringfenced grant funding available to help support infrastructure changes.