The second half of March saw Arsenal FC, the Arsenal Foundation and packaging supplier Ball Corporation leverage Global Recycling Day by launching a three-week fan tournament called ‘The Green Gooners Cup‘.
Kicking off on 18 March, the unique eco-focused tournament, encourages Arsenal fans to engage with and participate in ecology and environment activities – ranging from choosing aluminium products, local litter picks, recycling used packaging, eating meat-free meals, switgching the re-usable coffee cups and water bottles, donating unwanted clothing, reducing car use for short journeys and even recycling at Emirates Stadium – to core ‘green goals’ and win a wide range of prizes led by a VIP matchday experience.
The focus is on encouraging and incentivising ‘small, everyday sustainable choices that positively impact the planet’ and the grand prize includes meeting a men’s first-team player, watching a game from a box and enjoying pitch-side access.
Presented by Ball Corporation and delivered with project partner Planet League’s online platform, a digital and PR campaign encourages fans top to sign up on a bespoke web hub greengoonerscup.com and then take eco action.
The initiative was launched by a video, dropping across club and partner social platforms from 18 March, featuring current stars Declan Rice, Gabriel Jesus and Jorginho themselves scoring ‘green goals’ by showing off their recycling knowledge, ball skills and Arsenal aluminum cup stacking abilities (cups now served at the stadium which can be reused time and again).
How competitive is Jorginho 🤣
Our Gunners take on the @BallCorpHQ Cup Stacking Challenge 🥤
See how you can make a difference by signing up to the Green Gooners Cup now 👇
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) March 18, 2024
The video promotes a key strand of the programme – the ‘Switch To Can’ challenge: is a new activity which encourages Arsenal supporters to choose aluminium when buying a drink – something that has a range of benefits:
● It is infinitely recyclable
● An aluminium can is able to be back on the store shelf in as little as 60 days
● The energy saved from recycling one aluminium cup could power a TV for 3 hours
● Aluminium is the easiest packaging material to recycle
● 75% of all the aluminium ever produced is still in use today
The Green Gooners Cup prizes:
● Most green goals scored – Ultimate match-day experience (meeting a player, watching a game in a box and pitch side access) + a guest
● Second and third most green goals scored – Tickets to Arsenal vs Bournemouth.
● Complete a 10-day scoring streak – Prize draw to tour the Shoba Realty Training Centre
● Refer 5 friends – Prize draw for an Emirates Stadium tour
● Score 20 green goals – Prize draw to win an Arsenal x Ball aluminium cup
● Score 100 goals – Prize draw to win an Arsenal x Ball cup signed by Declan Rice, Gabriel Jesus and Jorginho
● Weekly top scorers – Signed shirt, ball and retail voucher
“It’s great to work so closely with our partner, Ball Corporation, and Planet League to inspire our supporters to drive even more positive action across our local and global communities.”
Arsenal’s Chief Commercial Officer Juliet Slot
“We are excited to partner with Arsenal and Planet League to encourage supporters to make more sustainable choices in everyday actions”.
Director Strategic Partnership at Ball Corporation Mike Kelly
“From completing quizzes and learning about recycling, to taking action and building up a climate streak, there are loads of easy ways Arsenal fans can score green goals and win prizes in The Green Gooners Cup.”
Planet League Founder Tom Gribbin
Everyone knows just how competitive most footballers can be both on and off the pitch and that drive certainly seems to be evident when Jorginho, Rice and Jesus took part in the hero ‘Cup Stacking Challenge’ spot.
This admirable behavioural change eco initiative leverages 2024 Global Recycling Day: an initiative created in 2018 to ‘help recognise, and celebrate, the importance recycling plays in preserving precious primary resources and securing the future of our planet’.
Gunners’ supplier Ball Corporation is a global providers of sustainable aluminium packaging, while Planet League is a non-profit that uses the power of football to mobilise supporters to take climate action and to date has partnerships with more than 80 professional clubs in the UK.