Sustainability in Sport: Advanced Foundations for Professionals
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The next course runs over three days; Wed 26th Nov, Thu 27th Nov and Wed 3rd Dec. Each day will run from 09:30 to 16:30. All sessions must be attended.
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Training is the single biggest area in which sport organisations ask BASIS for practical support, and during 2025 we’ve offered more than 500 training places across a range of course from Carbon Literacy to Calculating Emissions.Â
Our Fundamentals of Sustainability for Sports Organisations course is the highest, most in-depth level of training we offer: akin to the module of a masters course. Â
Here’s what’s it all about: Â
Sport is a global industry worth over $500 billion – and at a time of climate emergency and societal change, it faces urgent pressure to transform. Yet despite its profile and reach, sport continues to grapple with a significant knowledge gap: how to embed sustainability into strategy, operations, and culture.
This flagship BASIS programme is designed to close that gap. It is the most comprehensive training available for professionals working on sustainability in sport today. Whether you are a dedicated sustainability lead, a sport professional who has had sustainability added to your role, or someone who wants to work in sustainable sport, this course will equip you with the depth of knowledge and practical frameworks you need to lead change with confidence.
Developed and delivered by Dr Russell Seymour, the UK’s first Sustainability Manager in professional sport and a recognised global pioneer in the field, this course builds on a Masters-level module taught at Loughborough University, the world’s leading institution for sport research and education. Updated for 2025, it represents the highest level of training BASIS offers – the natural next step for anyone who has completed introductory programmes such as Carbon Literacy and is ready to go further.
What you will gain
Course graduates will develop:
- A deep understanding of the environmental, social, economic and political contexts of sustainable development, and how sport both affects and is affected by them.
- The ability to identify and analyse key issues, risks and opportunities in sustainability specific to the sport sector.
- Insights into best practice from sports organisations worldwide that are leading on sustainability.
- The tools to engage with measurement, management and reporting, including international standards.
- The confidence to tackle complex questions around greenwashing, communication, and credibility.
- Practical strategies to apply directly to your own organisation.
Programme structure
The course is delivered online over three days of interactive sessions (18 hours CPD in total). Expert guest speakers join selected sessions to share real-world case studies and experiences.
Key modules include:
- Timeline and history – charting the evolution of sustainability thinking and its impact on sport.
- Global issues, sporting impacts – examining climate, ecological and waste crises through a sporting lens.
- Frameworks and definitions – from scientific to political, and how they translate into action for sport.
- Leadership and opportunity – embedding sustainability at the heart of sports organisations.
- From global to local – scaling responses across all levels of sport.
- Managing and reporting – standards, tools, and the credibility challenge.
- Greenwashing and communication – building trust in a sceptical world.
Why this course?
Because sustainability in sport can’t be left to chance or goodwill. It requires expertise, leadership, and strategic action.Â
This course is the sector’s benchmark: the advanced training designed to help you, your organisation, and the industry as a whole thrive in a sustainable future.
The next course runs over three days; Wed 26th Nov, Thu 27th Nov and Wed 3rd Dec. Each day will run from 09:30 to 16:30. All sessions must be attended.
Thanks to the success of our wider training programme this year, we are able to offer this course at a one-time member-only price of £250 (down from the standard price of £810)
