The Football Association of Wales is proud to announce its participation as a pilot partner in the ACCESS project.
The Achieving Circularity in Cities through the Environmental Sustainability of Sports (ACCESS) project is one of the latest and most advanced European projects that explores the world of environmental sustainability and management in sports.
The project is funded by the European Union’s Erasmus+ programme with ACCESS looking at narrowing the gap between the current environmental performances of sport clubs, associations and their strategies by analysing the strategies and targets of the cities and regions that the FAW’s activities take place in.
In November 2022 the FAW launched its first ever sustainability strategy – ‘Cymru, Well-being and the World’ – outlining its vision for a ‘global, local Cymru’ using the power of football to improve the nation’s well-being. The FAW’s involvement in the ACCESS project further demonstrates the association’s strategic direction.
As a sport organisation on the project, the FAW will participate in a Europe-wide screening of current environmental practices and principles in stadium sports – including mobility, food and beverage consumption, event management as well as facilities and infrastructure maintenance among others.
By working with proven and experienced organisations such as ACR+ from Brussels and Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa, this screening will allow the FAW to identify the hotspots and potentials for environmental improvements and launch a cross-sectoral cooperation with the local and regional authorities to find solutions and define action plans that both sides would mutually benefit from.
As an added value of being a partner on the project, the FAW will also attend valuable tailor-made training sessions and partake in international mobility opportunities and study visits, as the project also includes FC Porto, the Gaelic Athletic Association and the Danish Football Associations Association.
At the conclusion of the project in May 2025, the FAW expects to gain sufficient knowledge and skills to become the beacon of environmental sustainability in Wales, support members of its network to progress in the field of environmental management after having provoked certain mindsets in how sport events and the operations around them are organised and governed.
You can find out more information about ACCESS by clicking here.
