Foundation supports Green Football’s Great Save
“My first pair of football boots were second-hand and too big, but I wouldn’t have been able to start playing football when I did without them. More needs to be done to make kit accessible for young people.” -Rio Ferdinand
● Research conducted by Green Football’s Great Save and the Rio Ferdinand Foundation found half (51%) of young people from under-resourced communities surveyed know someone in their community that can’t afford kit.
● 42% of young people surveyed believe there is some shame in buying second hand kit, but feel that seeing their friends buy second hand, having more pre-loved kit available and knowing that clubs and players donate to charity shops would help encourage more young people to try it.
● Rio Ferdinand reveals he was only initially able to start playing football thanks to being given a pair of second-hand boots that were two sizes too big.
● Manchester United legend highlights issues for young people’s self-esteem with not having the right kit, sharing his experience of wearing a QPR kit to his first youth team training session at West Ham.
● 76% of young people feel professional football clubs and kit brands should do more to fight climate change and protect pitches.
Young people from under-resourced communities are struggling to afford sports kit and being bullied or held back by not having the right kit, according to research carried out by Green Football’s Great Save and the Rio Ferdinand Foundation.
The groups worked with young people from under-resourced communities and under-represented backgrounds to understand the challenges young players face when it comes to affording kit, their attitudes to buying and wearing second-hand sportswear and their views on football and climate change.
More than half (51%) know someone who could not afford kit. 72% identify boots as the most challenging item to afford, ahead of sports clothing (39%).
Despite the challenges of buying new items, 42% of young people think there is some shame associated with buying second-hand sportswear. However they believe that seeing their friends buy second-hand kit, having more kit available and seeing clubs and players donate kit would encourage more young people to buy second hand.
79% of the women and girls surveyed think it’s particularly difficult for young women to find the kit they need to play and, for more than half (54%) of female respondents, the lack of appropriate kit prevents them from playing football in the first place.
Sharing his own experiences of lacking kit to play football when he was starting out, Manchester United and England legend, Rio Ferdinand, says more needs to be done by players and clubs to address the stigma of using second-hand sportswear and to encourage people to reuse kit.
“My first ever pair of football boots were second hand, or maybe even third hand. I remember they were two sizes too big, but I wouldn’t have been able to play football for months if I’d waited for my mum to afford to buy me a new pair. The lack of affordable kit is still a big barrier to lots of young people today.”
Rio and the Foundation have joined forces with Green Football’s Great Save to highlight the importance of keeping kit in play for longer and the negative impact that lack of kit is having on young people’s ability to take part in sport.
“I understand issues with self-esteem if you don’t have the right kit. When I went to my first ever training session at West Ham, I was wearing a QPR kit,” Rio says. Everyone was looking at me like I was crazy, asking me what I was doing. It was a difficult first session. But I was lucky because by the next session, they gave me new kit to wear. Not having the resources to be able to afford kit can affect your confidence and your self-esteem. You walk into places feeling inadequate, and that’s not a good starting point for anybody.”
Ferdinand believes that urgent steps need to be taken to make sure access to kit doesn’t continue to be a barrier for young people to be able to play sport, especially in the most deprived areas of the country:
“Getting more people donating kits is important, either to second-hand shops, youth clubs or play centres around the country. We need to create spaces for people to feel comfortable getting second-hand kit - like kit donation schemes or swap shops.”
Ferdinand also believes a top-down approach is needed from football stakeholders to change attitudes and address the stigma of owning and wearing second hand kit.
“I had hand-me-downs when I was growing up and I was grateful as it meant I could play football, but I know pride and ego can stop people from shopping second hand, which is a shame. Football clubs and the stakeholders in the game have a big role to play in this. If we have a unified approach within football, people will feel more comfortable.
“Football clubs can talk to the community. They have a lot of touchpoints with the fans. They can send a message that we all need people to have access to kit. The louder that voice is, the more consistent the message will be.
“Using football as a way to enhance your life is a really great opportunity for young people. It has been huge for me in terms of giving me confidence. I’ve always felt at my most free playing football, so it is crucial to tackle barriers and obstacles in the way of young people getting hold of kit now.”
Ferdinand is supporting Green Football’s Great Save, the world’s biggest climate-football campaign, which brings together the football community - fans, players, clubs, leagues, grassroots teams and schools - to take action to tackle climate change and protect the future of the game.
This year’s campaign, running from 11th March to 2nd April, is all about keeping sports kit in play for longer by donating, selling, reusing or upcycling it - helping to reduce waste, save money and support communities who may lack access to kit. Fans can donate used sportswear in charity shops nationwide or from the comfort of their own homes with the help of official charity partner, The Salvation Army, which has a dedicated kit postal service.
“Campaigns like Green Football’s Great Save are so important. They’re like a trigger in our heads to go - just have a reset, and remember we need to make impact… by making these little changes in your life. We need to go out of our way to try and make a positive impact for other people and for nature.”
For more information on Green Football Great Save, go to www.greenfootball.org.