Feature | City to benefit from FA Greener Game scheme

Gloucester City AFC will benefit from the FA’s Greener Game programme having been awarded a grant to help us reduce energy costs and become more sustainable.

Launched in 2024, in partnership with E.ON Next, the Greener Game initiative was set up by the FA to support and empower grassroots football clubs by providing them with investment opportunities for sustainable upgrades, alongside educational resources and energy-saving guides.

Vice-Chair, Sarah Gordon- Jones, takes up the story.

“When I first arrived at the club in the summer of 2024, I was keen to start building relationships with partners within the football family.

“My first port of call was the Gloucestershire FA where we talked about moving the club from being England Football Accredited two-star to three-star.

“Thanks to the hard work and dedication of a number of people behind-the-scenes both here at the club and within the GFA, we were able to achieve this pretty quickly and in doing so, it allowed us to push on and hold Thriving Club status, which in turn made us eligible to apply for the Greener Game programme, something which really caught my attention.

“The process has taken around 18 months as we have gone through the various stages and panel assessments. We’ve had our energy consumption analysed and audited, with advice given on where savings can be made, which in turn will have a knock-on effect on us being able to use those savings to reinvest into the club.

“I am thrilled that we have been successful in our E.ON Greener Game application. We have been successfully awarded over £31,000, which will be invested in the club to install solar panels to help with our long-term strategy of becoming sustainable both environmentally and, importantly, financially.

“It will assist us in making great strides in negating our energy bills month-on-month, something that is particularly important in the current climate of energy prices rising significantly.

“This puts us in the best possible position to make savings on our energy consumption and we hope the fans can see the legacy this will have and the appetite the board has for the long-term vision of the club.”