FEATURE: Supporting Green Football Weekend At Birmingham Fixture

Derby County will join football clubs across the country in the Green Football campaign, bringing together fans, players, and clubs to protect both the game we love and the natural environment we share.

Football brings communities together, but the places where we play and watch the game are increasingly under pressure from extreme weather, rising temperatures, and air pollution.

The club’s commitment to sustainability has been recognised with EFL Green Club Bronze status and full GreenCode accreditation, highlighting ongoing efforts to reduce its environmental impact.

At Moor Farm Training Ground, solar panels generate clean, on-site electricity while helping to reduce energy emissions. The stadium pitch was also upgraded to a hybrid SISGRASS surface, fully rebuilt ahead of the 2025/26 season to create a more manageable and durable playing area that aligns with sustainable maintenance practices.

On matchdays, Derby County is also tackling single-use plastics through a partnership with Circulayo, with a reusable cup system. Supporters return cups to kiosks or designated bins, where they are washed and reused at future fixtures. This initiative removes thousands of plastic cups from landfills and oceans, while engaging supporters with environmental impact data via QR codes on each cup.

Young Rams’ Gallery

Alongside our Sky Bet Championship fixture against Birmingham City during Green Football Weekend, we’re also exploring a number of fun and interactive activities to help young supporters engage with the theme of sustainability.

Our Young Rams’ Gallery competition will see young supporters submitting drawings around the theme of Green Football for the chance to win a special prize!

The activity will invite our supporters to imagine what our stadium or training ground could look like 15–20 years from now if football and wildlife coexisted, reflecting the club’s interest in exploring opportunities around rewilding and supporting local biodiversity.

All submissions will enter a draw for more special Derby County prizes. Send your designs to [email protected].

Community Trust's Black, White and Green Programme

The club’s sustainability work extends into the community through Derby County Community Trust’s Black, White and Green programme, supported by Vaillant UK. This initiative empowers young people to lead projects such as tree planting and energy-saving initiatives, helping inspire the next generation of environmentally conscious football supporters.

Black, White and Green is one part of the Trust’s wider Green School Programmes, which also include Eco Council, Forest School, Green Goals, and Rammie’s Little Plotters. Together, these initiatives support schools in embedding sustainability and environmental learning into everyday life.

Beyond schools, the Trust also hosts a range of activities at its allotment plots in Little Chester and Sinfin. Since 2021, these spaces have played a key role in DCCT’s Health programmes, offering adults and children opportunities to improve their physical and mental wellbeing through hands‑on outdoor activity. The plots are used for children’s holiday sessions, as well as health and wellbeing groups for adults.

Get Involved!

Derby County is encouraging fans to get involved in the fight against climate change. They can help the club win the Green Football Cup by taking climate-friendly actions and making green pledges, such as travelling more sustainably, eating more plant-based meals, and saving energy. By taking part, fans have the chance to win a year-long Sky Sports subscription!

Simon Carnall, Chief Operating Officer at the club, said: “At Derby County, sustainability is an important part of how we operate as a football club. Green Football Weekend gives us the opportunity to highlight the steps we are taking to reduce our environmental impact while engaging our supporters and the wider community in that journey.

"Football has an incredible reach, and we are committed to using that platform to promote positive environmental action.”

Climate change is threatening the future of football, with the FA estimating that 100,000 grassroots games are cancelled per year due to pitch conditions. By 2050, one in four English football clubs can expect partial or total stadium flooding each year.

Sarah Jacobs, Green Football Director, said: “For millions of us across the country, football, whether it’s five-a-side, Sunday league, or the weekly pilgrimage to the ground; it’s a lifeline. But extreme weather puts all of that at risk.

"That’s why it’s so exciting to see clubs, fans and players coming together for Green Football to take action, whether by planting trees, creating nature walks or celebrating the grassroots pitches that fostered their passion for the game. Together, we can defend where football lives.”

For more information on all the activities and how to get involved, go to www.greenfootball.org