Community football club
FAW & UEFA licensing
Net-zero advisory partner
Denbigh Town Football Club is a community club, a Community Interest Company (CIC), in North Wales, and one we support through our community-impact work. As part of that, we completed the club’s Social and Environmental Sustainability (SES) strategy free of charge, the strategy that Football Association of Wales (FAW) licensing now requires clubs to hold in line with the UEFA Football Sustainability Strategy 2030. We also act as the club’s net-zero strategy and advisory partner, supporting it from a carbon baseline and environmental policy to volunteer training and funding for renewable technology. That work has run alongside the club’s hosting of UEFA European U19 football.
Advisory partnership
Aligned to UEFA’s sustainability strategy
Hosted UEFA European football
Battery storage & LED upgrades backed
The brief
Football Association of Wales club licensing now requires clubs to establish and implement a social and environmental sustainability strategy, in line with the UEFA Football Sustainability Strategy 2030. For a community club run largely by volunteers, that is a serious ask: a credible strategy, real policies, and evidence that they are being put into practice, all while keeping the club running week to week.
Denbigh Town needed a partner to lead the environmental and net-zero side of that requirement, translate it into something a community club could actually deliver, and support the funding needed to make physical improvements at the ground.
our role
We led on the environmental and net-zero side of the club’s licensing requirement, turning a demanding standard into a practical, deliverable plan. Our training is CPD-accredited and written with Liverpool John Moores University.
01
We completed the club’s Social and Environmental Sustainability strategy against the FAW licensing template, spanning the required social and environmental areas, and provided it free of charge as community-impact work.
02
A full environmental policy covering energy, emissions, waste, water, biodiversity, transport and the club’s new clubhouse, with clear objectives and commitments.
03
A carbon footprint baseline report, giving the club a clear starting point to measure and reduce its emissions over time.
04
Sustainability training for the club’s volunteers, so the people who run the club could put the strategy into practice themselves.
05
Bid-writing and funding support towards renewable technology at the ground, including solar panels, battery storage and LED floodlights.
the journey
We have worked alongside the club over three years, so each stage built on the last and the strategy stayed live rather than sitting on a shelf.
Set a carbon footprint baseline and built the sustainability strategy and environmental policy around it.
Put practical sustainable practices and measurable commitments in place to meet the licensing criteria.
Trained volunteers and supported bids for funding towards renewable technology, including solar and battery storage.
Supported the club’s licensing journey, alongside its hosting of UEFA European U19 football.
Progress so far
Drawn from the club’s own progress report against the strategy, these are changes already in place, not just intentions.
01
Solar panels and battery storage installed on the club’s new clubhouse, generating renewable energy for its operations.
02
Energy-efficient systems built into the new clubhouse, with energy use now monitored to track progress over time.
03
Waste segregation introduced in the clubhouse and on matchdays, with reusable bottles replacing single-use plastic.
04
A kit reuse and donation scheme keeping equipment in use for longer, rather than being thrown away.
What it means
01
Designed for a volunteer-run community club, so the strategy was realistic to deliver rather than a document that gathers dust.
02
The work met FAW and UEFA licensing requirements while genuinely improving how the club runs and what it spends on energy.
03
A three-year engagement means we are there as the club’s plans, facilities and targets develop, not just for a single report.
04
From green match days to youth engagement, the strategy roots sustainability in the community the club serves.
We help clubs, community organisations and businesses meet sustainability requirements in a way that is practical and genuinely useful, not just a box ticked. Book a short walkthrough and we’ll talk through what your standard asks for and how to deliver it.
Get in touch with the One Earth Education team!
