FC Dordrecht saves the world: The green game.

Words: Elisa Kuster

Images: Han Balk

FC Dordrecht, a small football club in Holland’s second tier Eerste Divisie.

Apart from playing in green, the club have never boasted too many environmental credentials

Dutch football, especially the professional men’s game, is a conservative sport in the main.

The Sheepheads of Dordrecht are no exception and sometimes it feels attending a football game at the Krommedijk is like walking into a Tardis and going back in time.

©Han Balk/ Terrace Edition. FC Dordrecht.

When the club announced that they were planning a climate neutral game, most of the fans chuckled.

But FC Dordrecht were determined to take the (LED) limelight after working with opponents TOP Oss on the concept since August of last year.

The eco-brief was simple but novel for the final day tussle, as fans were asked to use transport with no fossil fuels to get to the match. Only electric cars could park on the stadium square.

The food in the stadium was exclusively vegan.

Any fears that fans would shy away from a green themed game were unfounded as the event was sold out and sponsors were attracted too.

Beer was available in eco-friendly cups and the fact that people had to come by bike, on foot or consider other means of non-emission transport meant that an extra pint wasn’t out of the question.

Whether it was really a climate neutral game is open to debate but Dordrecht have opened up the discussion about what socially and environmentally conscious clubs look like in the future.

The match finished 2-2 with Dordrecht ending the season in a disappointing 18th place in the Eerste Divisie.

They may not have kept up a strong challenge for the top half of the league but they do seem to have an eye on a truly sustainable future.