The rooted fan

Sustainability initiatives in sport have the potential to reach large audiences and encourage climate action, both during sporting events and in consumers’ everyday lives. However, their effectiveness depends largely on the acceptance and engagement of fans and other stakeholders (McCullough & Trail, 2021). Fans’ sustainable behaviours, both during sporting events and in their everyday lives, have received increasing attention from researchers (Casper et al., 2021). Although many professional sport teams (PSTs) have developed awareness campaigns addressing environmental issues (Cayolla et al., 2021), the effects of these initiatives across different types of fans remain unclear (Trail & McCullough, 2018). In addition, the suspension of virtually all major sports leagues worldwide during the 2020–21 season (Weimar et al., 2021) limited understanding of fans’ environmental awareness and sustainable behaviours in the context of sporting events. Therefore, this study seeks to deepen knowledge of the importance of sustainability initiatives promoted by PSTs for fans.

This project is part of a broader research line on the relationship between sustainability, sports marketing and sports management, considering the role of fans, organisations and sporting events in promoting environmentally responsible behaviours. The study published as Fans’ Perceptions of Pro-Environmental Sustainability Initiatives in Sport and Triple Bottom Line Benefits showed that positive perceptions of a club’s environmental initiatives may be associated with social, environmental and economic benefits, reinforcing the importance of addressing sustainability from an integrated perspective (Cayolla et al., 2023).

Another study, entitled Does Pro-Environmental Attitude Predict Pro-Environmental Behavior? Comparing Sustainability Connection in Emotional and Cognitive Environments among Football Fans and University Students, examined the relationship between pro-environmental attitudes and behaviours among football fans and university students. The results showed a positive relationship between attitudes and behaviours in both groups, although differences were identified according to the type of connection — emotional or cognitive — established with the organisation responsible for the sustainability initiatives (Cayolla et al., 2023).

The study Exploring the Evolution of Suggested Improvements to Pro-Environmental Sustainability Initiatives: Empirical Evidence from a Professional Sport Team continued this line of research by analysing fans’ suggestions for improving the environmental practices of a professional sport team. The findings highlighted the importance of sustainable venue design, environmentally responsible game-day operations, green sponsorship activation, pro-environmental communication, and the overall improvement of the event experience (Cayolla et al., 2024).

More recently, the study Climate Change and Sports Events Adaptations reinforced the need to understand how sporting events can adapt to climate change. This research emphasises that sustainability should be integrated into the management, marketing and communication strategies of sports organisations, avoiding merely symbolic approaches and promoting concrete, measurable practices that are communicated transparently (Cayolla et al., 2025).

Within this framework, the project seeks to contribute to a deeper understanding of sustainability in sport, emphasising fan participation and dialogue among clubs, communities and other stakeholders. It aims to support the development of more effective initiatives, aligned with the expectations of different audiences and capable of transforming sporting events into spaces for environmental awareness, participation and climate action.

Research Group: Territories and Organisations for Sustainable Development (TOSD)