Sustainable Sport Awards Now Open
BASIS (the British Association for Sustainable Sport) is launching its inaugural Sustainable Sports Awards as part of its 10th anniversary celebrations.
Sports organisations of all kinds in the UK which have made changes to reduce their environmental impacts while enhancing their social and economic influence could be rewarded for their efforts: the British Association for Sustainable Sport (BASIS) is seeking submissions for its inaugural Sustainable Sport Awards. Winners within various categories will be revealed in October, when BASIS will host an Awards event at the Kia Oval Cricket Ground in London as part of their tenth anniversary celebrations.
BASIS hopes the Awards will inspire healthy competition among sports clubs and venues, and will encourage all sports organisations to think about how they can improve their sustainability credentials. The judges of the competition will be looking for examples of how initiatives have been conceived and what kind of impact they have had. All sizes of sports club – from the elite, professional and top-flight to recreational, community and grass-roots – are being urged to enter.
BASIS has been supporting sports clubs, venues and governing bodies with advice on sustainability for a decade, with its members including the likes of Arsenal Football Club, England Rugby, the Jockey Club and the ECB. This Awards programme is open to non-members too, with BASIS hoping for a response from a range of different sports.
Dr Russell Seymour, CEO of BASIS, explains: “We have seen many sports clubs really up their game over recent years in terms of considering their role in mitigating against climate change and other environmental impacts, but there’s still a long way to go. The sports sector is lagging behind many others on sustainability, and we want this to change because we have such a great opportunity to make an impact for our fans and participants”.
He adds: “The benefits of different organisations sharing ideas, best practice and solutions are huge, and our 2021 Awards will give sports clubs a terrific opportunity to shout loud about their non-sporting successes. While climate change is one of our biggest issues, we all face many challenges on different scales from individual through community to planetary impacts; a BASIS Award in the trophy cabinet really would be an achievement to feel proud of”.
