First sustainability match in LaLiga: Real Betis v. Athletic Club
With the ‘Forever Green match’ the Spanish club aims to raise awareness and mobilise society against climate change through various actions. The team will play in a special kit made from recycled material.
Real Betis Balompié and professional football are once again showing their commitment against the climate crisis with the Forever Green match, LaLiga’s first sustainability match. The Real Betis-Athletic Club match on 13 March will become the first match with the objective of protecting the environment, through different actions on the day of the match. After a year and a half of Forever Green, the sustainability platform promoted by Real Betis Balompié, the Club is launching this pioneering initiative in the world of football with a special focus on raising awareness among the general public and all fans of our sport.
For this match, Real Betis will use a sustainable kit, made from 100% recycled polyester, which will be presented this week and which fans will be able to purchase in the Club’s official shops. Also during this week prior to the match, the Forever Green trainers, made with recycled and sustainable materials by people with disabilities, will be presented. In addition, the green and white club will promote sustainable transport for fans to the Estadio Benito Villamarín on the day of the match. To this end, through the Clubs’ agreement with Lime, all those attending the match will be given a discount code to use the company’s electric bicycles to get to the stadium. Fans will also be able to enjoy a discount on Acciona’s electric motorbikes and Voi scooters. On the other hand, Real Betis will provide the means to facilitate and inform about parking spaces for bicycles and personal scooters.
Likewise, the startup Ciclogreen will develop an app that will encourage fans to move around in a sustainable way. Participants will be able to take part in a raffle for a special Real Betis kit and other Real Betis products, as well as having the chance to meet the first team players. During the first LaLiga sustainability match, players from both teams will say “no to plastic” by using recycled bottles instead of traditional water bottles.
For this occasion, the Benito Villamarín Stadium will have new messages on its steps with advice on how to lead a more sustainable life and take care of the planet. The number of selective recycling bins inside the stadium will also be increased and biodegradable bowls will be provided for fans to deposit their pipe shells in. This waste will then be transformed into fertiliser. Before the match, LaLiga, Real Betis and Athletic Club will plant a tree next to the Monumento a la Afición, a symbol of the promotion of reforestation, one of Forever Green’s main lines of action. This match for sustainability will have the promotional code FOREVERGREEN at the online ticket office, with which tickets can be purchased at a price of 30 euros, with one euro from each sale going to a reforestation project. In addition, the Club will measure the carbon footprint of the match and the impact of the reduction measures put in place, compensating it according to the possibilities, in order to continue taking steps towards carbon neutrality. A match that aims to open a new path in football and that will leave a mark on all fans on the road to environmental sustainability.
