The reach of the English Premier League is mind-boggling. According to its 2019/20 annual review, 880 million homes in 180 countries have access to live matches.

Quite simply, the Premier League is one of the most exciting and high-quality sports leagues in the world, featuring many of the world’s best players and coaches duelling it out on a weekly basis.

The cultural impact of the clubs and players is immense. You only need to examine the case of young Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford – whose campaign for free school meals for children coming from challenging economic backgrounds changed government policy – to understand the significance of the league and those who take part in that.

That’s why it’s encouraging to see many of the 20 teams start to take climate action and address sustainability in a meaningful way.

During this episode, we sit down with Sport Positive founder Claire Poole – the creator of the Premier League Sustainability Table – to discuss her findings, as well as representatives from two of the best-ranked clubs in the table: Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton.

Tony Stevens, the head of public relations for the former, explains how Spurs surged to the top of the table by making sustainability core to the club’s business, while Tim Greenwell, the chief legal and risk officer for Southampton, talks about the club’s new sustainability strategy, The Halo Effect.

Listen to the full episode here:

Guests:

Episode #55 talking points

– Why Spurs and Southampton signed the Sports for Climate Action Framework

– How sustainability is helping both clubs engage with their respective stakeholders

– What leagues Sport Positive will analyse next

To find out about future episodes of the podcast, and to keep on top of the latest thinking when it comes to sustainable leadership, innovation and strategy for the sports industry, subscribe via iTunes, Spotify and Stitcher.