Going green at the UEFA European Under-19 Championship

During this year’s UEFA Men’s Under-19 European Championship, UEFA and the Irish FA are working together to maximise positive environmental and social outcomes over the two-week tournament, and leave a lasting impact on practices going forward.

Sustainability is a key pillar of UEFA’s strategic framework, and this tournament will be staged according to UEFA’s sustainability principles. These include using existing infrastructure as efficiently as possible, and applying the circular economy principles of reduce, reuse, recycle and recover.

As part of this sustainability commitment, the Irish FA and local stadiums are following UEFA’s sustainability best practices for this tournament. The local organising committee will be using electric transport in Belfast and Larne to cut down on carbon emissions, and UEFA’s recently launched carbon footprint calculator will be used to stay on top of and manage emissions.

Additionally, the hotels and venues being used have made a commitment to using food locally sourced in Northern Ireland throughout the event to further reduce the environmental impact and remain in line with healthy governance principles. Once the tournament is over, event materials will be donated to local groups or recycled. New recycling bins and bicycle parking stations will also be installed at the three host stadiums so that these practices can be continued for years to come.

To fit with another key pillar of UEFA’s strategic framework, social, the three host stadiums – the National Football Stadium at Windsor Park, Seaview in Belfast, and Inver Park in Larne – will all have designated areas for wheelchair users, and volunteers will be trained to assist those with additional needs to ensure the games are accessible for all to enjoy.