Climate change is a present threat to sport in the UK: here, now, disrupting grassroots clubs, damaging facilities, and costing hundreds of millions of pounds every year.
A new UK Government report, Exploring the Financial Implications of Climate Change on Grassroots Sport, pulls together years of work from BASIS and partners to lay this reality out in the starkest terms.
The analysis estimates that climate-related disruptions already cost grassroots sport in the UK around £320 million annually. That’s £200 million in repairs and maintenance, and £120 million in lost revenue from cancelled matches, abandoned sessions, and facilities forced to close.
For community clubs already stretched thin, this goes far beyond altruistic environmental consciousness: it is a financial and existential challenge.
A Double Challenge: Cause and Consequence
The report also shines a light on grassroots sport’s own role in the climate crisis. Every year, the sector contributes an estimated 4.1 million tonnes of CO₂e – around 0.5% of total UK emissions. That’s almost 1% of sport’s global carbon footprint.
The biggest culprit? Travel.
The overwhelming reliance on car journeys by players, parents, and supporters makes up the bulk of emissions. Facilities energy use follows closely, with heating, lighting, and indoor venues driving up the sector’s carbon bill. Equipment manufacturing, waste, artificial surfaces, and construction add further impacts.
This creates a double challenge: grassroots sport is both a contributor to climate change and highly vulnerable to its effects. It is caught in the crossfire.
Climate Impacts Are Already Here
From village cricket clubs to city football pitches, the impacts are already visible:
Flooding and waterlogging mean cancelled fixtures, deteriorating pitches, and spiralling maintenance costs.
Heatwaves and droughts bring unsafe conditions, heat stress, and degraded playing surfaces.
Infrastructure damage – clubhouses, artificial pitches, and equipment are increasingly at risk from extreme weather.
Behind these impacts lie human stories: disappointed children sent home when pitches are unplayable; volunteers drained by endless repairs; clubs closing their doors after one storm too many.
The Cost of Inaction
Without urgent change, the report warns, these costs will escalate. Climate impacts threaten not just the balance sheets of clubs, but also the health, wellbeing, and social fabric of communities that rely on grassroots sport.
If participation falls, so too do the benefits that sport brings: reduced healthcare costs, improved mental health, stronger social cohesion. The stakes go far beyond the playing field.
Turning the Tide: Recommendations for Action
The report offers a clear roadmap for change – one that BASIS is already working to advance. Key priorities include:
- Cutting Emissions at Source
- Reducing car dependency through car-sharing, walking and cycling routes, and public transport links.
- Retrofitting facilities with energy-efficient lighting, heating, and renewable energy.
- Investing in Resilient Infrastructure
- Flood-proofing pitches and clubhouses.
- Upgrading drainage systems, artificial surfaces, and shading.
- Supporting Clubs with Resources and Training
- Financial support for adaptation measures.
- Technical guidance and tools to help clubs measure and reduce their footprint.
- Embedding Sustainability in Strategy
- Making climate resilience and sustainability central to funding and planning decisions.
- Aligning with Sport England’s Every Move strategy, which recognises climate action as a pillar of sport’s future.
BASIS: Leading the Response
The report cites BASIS extensively, reflecting the role we have played in placing this issue on the agenda. For over a decade, BASIS has championed the case for sustainability in sport, helping clubs and governing bodies to act, convening the sector, and providing the evidence that policymakers rely on.
This government analysis is a milestone – but it must also be a launchpad – and BASIS will work with every willing partner in the sector to ensure that the recommendations do not just sit on a shelf, but drive real action.
Grassroots sport emits over 4 million tonnes of CO₂e annually – yet receives far less attention than elite sport. Climate change is already costing community clubs £320 million a year. But with smart investment, we can protect facilities, safeguard participation, and make grassroots sport part of the climate solution.
A Defining Moment for Sport
This report shows with data what we already knew instinctively: grassroots sport is not a bystander to climate change. It is on the frontline. The choices we make now will determine whether thousands of clubs can thrive – or whether climate impacts will erode the foundation of community sport across the UK.
And while the challenges are real and serious, the sports sector across the UK – if it is able to work as one – is more than equal to them. By cutting emissions, investing in resilience, and supporting clubs, we can turn climate risk into climate action.
