Football fleets electrified

From the green grass directly into the "green" car, most professional footballers nowadays make the shift – even if several less green internal combustion engine cars are still waiting in the garage at home. However, the conversion of fleets is in full swing among Bundesliga clubs.

The online magazine Touremo surveyed the professional clubs of the 1st to 3rd Football Bundesliga on e-mobility and the use of green electricity. The participation of over 90 percent of the clubs demonstrates the great relevance of the topic.

Background: Only recently, the German Football League (DFL) decided to introduce sustainability as a criterion for licensing its professional clubs in the 1st and 2nd Bundesliga. Also, there has been an increasing number of reports about the clubs' engagement, especially in climate protection-relevant areas such as mobility and energy use. However, a comprehensive overview of the corresponding activities had been missing up to now. This information gap has now been closed through a survey of the German professional clubs. The data collection was carried out using online questionnaires sent to the clubs' press offices.

The results were interesting: Over 70 percent already use electric cars or transporters, which are mostly used by employees and officials of the clubs. As expected, the majority of the vehicles come from German manufacturers. Interestingly, 40 percent of the clubs also use electric two-wheelers such as e-bikes, scooters, and mopeds.

The charging infrastructure is also being upgraded: According to Touremo, more than half of the clubs have already installed charging facilities – primarily on club premises. Additionally, over 80 percent of football clubs use green electricity. Most of this is purchased from energy suppliers, but some is also produced on the stadium roofs. And the expansion continues: Most clubs plan to build or expand charging infrastructure and increase the use of electric vehicles in the near future.

Details from 29.3.2022 at https://www.touremo.de/fussball-unter-strom/

What does this mean?

Even in professional football, there is a large-scale shift, which was to be expected, as it is more about image than finances: Accordingly, this segment finds the "transition" easier – a change that might be more challenging for some professional footballers in their private lives.