With international football met with increasing criticism over its carbon footprint, University of Bath students are working with Bath City FC to show how community football could help tackle climate change.

Using real data from the club, researchers identified practical, low-cost decarbonisation options, alongside longer-term investments that could transform how grassroots clubs use and produce energy. Early recommendations have already delivered results, with the club replacing outdated, energy-intensive floodlights with efficient LED systems, saving around 1.25 tonnes of carbon dioxide - around 4% of their total emissions from energy - and £1,250 each year.

Building on the initial project, a team of third-year Electronic and Electrical Engineering students furthered the work from a wider technical, economic and carbon-saving perspective. They developed a longer-term plan highlighting how the club could reduce emissions by 75% and save more than £500,000 over 15 years through a phased approach, combining energy efficiency and renewable generation.

The findings come as football faces growing scrutiny over its environmental impact, highlighting the untapped potential of community-level clubs to drive local climate action.

Bath City Football Club was founded in 1889 and has played its home matches at Twerton Park since 1932. The men’s first team currently competes in the Southern League Premier Division South, the seventh tier of English football. The women’s first team is competing in the South West Regional Women's Football League Division One, the sixth tier.

Oliver Bostock, a PhD researcher with the Centre for Doctoral Training in Advanced Automotive Propulsion Systems (AAPS) at the University of Bath, said: “Football clubs have a very distinct energy profile; they use a lot of energy on matchdays but very little for the rest of the week. That creates a real opportunity. By installing green energy technologies, clubs could cut emissions and supply energy or flexibility back to the local community and the grid during downtime.”

The project began as a student-led study with Bath City FC, a community-owned club in Twerton, and has since expanded into a wider programme exploring how smaller organisations can transition to low-carbon energy systems.

A multidisciplinary student team developed a roadmap tailored to the realities of organisations with limited budgets, showing that decarbonisation is achievable without large upfront investment if delivered in stages. Suggestions include phased installation of a battery energy storage system, solar panels, an air source heat pump, and EV chargers.

Nico Ostler Baraona, PhD researcher in the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, said: “One of the biggest challenges is the upfront investment required. For smaller clubs, committing to new infrastructure is a significant decision. But the key message from this work is that the solutions are feasible and realistic.”

Professor Furong Li, from the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering and academic supervisor for the project, said: “I am incredibly proud of our students for the energy, ambition, and commitment they have brought to this community project. What began as a small feasibility study has evolved into an exciting venture for students and staff to generate evidence and insights and decarbonisation solutions that delivered real-world impact. Increasingly, decarbonising BCFC becomes a focal point for closer collaboration and integration across the University

Professor Phil Taylor, Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Bath, added: “We have also been immensely fortunate to receive the unwavering support of Bath City Football Club's current and former Club Chairperson, David McDonagh and Nick Blofeld. Their vision, encouragement, and willingness to collaborate have enabled our students to work on real-world challenges, ensuring that the project delivers lasting value for the Club and the wider city of Bath.”

The team now plans to expand the work into a Vertically Integrated Project, strengthening collaboration between the University and local organisations and supporting wider adoption of low-carbon energy systems.

The project demonstrates that while global football often dominates headlines for its emissions, grassroots clubs could play a valuable role in building a more sustainable future at a community level.