Environmental sustainability in football: towards a green transition in football organisations thanks to the FREE KICKS project coordinated by the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies in Pisa

The FREE KICKS project (Football Relies on EMAS and Ecolabel to Keep Innovating on Circularity as a Key for Sustainability), co-funded by the European Union and led by Prof. Tiberio Daddi of the Institute of Management at the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, is coming to an end. Created with the aim of strengthening environmental governance in football and promoting the sector's transition towards the objectives of the European Green Deal, the project involved four international football clubs: Real Betis Balompié (Spain), Malmö FF (Sweden), Racing Club de Avellaneda (Argentina) and the Romanian Football Federation

The participation of the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, through its Sustainability Management Laboratory, ensured a solid scientific and methodological approach, based on impact measurement and the integration of circular economy and environmental management principles into the world of football.

The project achieved all its stated objectives, directly and indirectly involving more than 2 million people.

Let's take a closer look at the recent initiatives related to the project.

Final conference at the Sport Positive Summit 2025

The Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies took part in the Sport Positive Summit 2025, held in London on 7-8 October 2025, with a session dedicated to the closure of the European project FREE KICKS (Football Relies on EMAS and Ecolabel to Keep Innovating on Circularity as a Key for Sustainability), co-funded by the European Union. The FREE KICKS project, led by Prof. Tiberio Daddi of the Institute of Management of the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, began in February 2023 and will end in November 2025. It involved four international football clubs – Real Betis Balompié (Spain), Malmö FF (Sweden), Racing Club de Avellaneda (Argentina) and the Romanian Football Federation – with the aim of strengthening environmental governance in football and promoting the sector's transition towards the objectives of the European Green Deal.

The conference, entitled “Strengthening Environmental Governance in Sport”, brought together representatives of the football clubs and partner institutions involved in the project, as well as Emilien Gasc, Counsellor for Climate, Environment and Energy at the European Union Delegation to the United Kingdom. The conference provided an opportunity to share the main results achieved, including:

• 4 Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) of a football match, conducted on all clubs. The study made it possible to assess not only the impacts on climate change, but also all environmental impacts. In addition, for the first time, average impact data for a football match (benchmark of the environmental impacts of football) was created.
• Four EMAS certifications obtained in the sports sector, supporting the achievement of the first EMAS certification in the sports field for each country involved. EMAS certification ensures that the clubs involved analyse, manage and monitor their environmental impacts appropriately and that they commit to improving their environmental performance on an annual basis.
• Development of operational guidelines and practical tools to integrate environmental sustainability into club management.
• Training and awareness-raising activities aimed at managers, staff and fans to promote a more sustainable sports culture.

Visit to Racing Club de Avellaneda

As part of the European project FREE KICKS (Football Relies on EMAS and Ecolabel to Keep Innovating on Circularity as a Key for Sustainability), Alessio Novi, a researcher at the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, visited Racing Club de Avellaneda in Argentina to monitor the activities carried out as part of the project and verify the implementation of environmental sustainability actions.

The mission took place at the club's headquarters and facilities, with an intense programme of meetings, training sessions and field observations. Among the main activities, we highlight the visit to the new training centre in Ezeiza and the meeting with local stakeholders to discuss the club's environmental management strategies; a training session at the Villa del Parque headquarters (Buenos Aires) dedicated to employees, focusing on good sustainability practices and waste management; the meeting with university students who had previously participated in FREE KICKS project awareness events; a visit to the new school in Avellaneda, which will host Racing's young players; monitoring during the Racing vs Independiente match, with direct observation of the sustainability actions implemented during the sporting event.

During the match, Alessio Novi was able to see how the “environmental guardians” programme works, with volunteers trained to promote sustainable behaviour inside the stadium. The activity included training on their role, raising public awareness through eco-stands and environmental messages on screens, and the presence of recycling points for separate waste collection.

This mission was a key moment to verify the concrete impact of the FREE KICKS project, which aims to strengthen environmental governance in football and spread circular economy practices in the sports sector.

The researcher had the opportunity to meet with president Diego Milito, former Inter player and winner of the Champions League in 2010.