Driving Sustainable Fan Behaviour in Sport: Co-creating Evidence and Impact

As we reach the final weekend of the FIFA World Cup and reflect how this is one of the world’s biggest sporting events, bringing together fans, communities and cultures on a global stage. It also highlights the growing challenge of making sport more environmentally sustainable.

Our latest impact funding blog describes how Dr Andrea Collins and Nicole Koenig-Lewis have worked with Dragons RFC, The R and A, NTT Data and Pledgeball to use Cardiff University’s Economic and Social Research Council  (ESRC) Impact Acceleration Account funding to explore how clubs can better understand supporter behaviour and use evidence to encourage more sustainable choices.

Sport event organisers increasingly want to encourage more sustainable behaviour among fans, yet often lack robust evidence on what works.

SEaT is a survey based toolkit co-created with The R&A, NTT DATA UK, Dragons RFC and Pledgeball. It evaluates engagement with sustainability initiatives and communications, helping organisations encourage more sustainable choices at events and in everyday life.

Researchers developed the SEaT toolkit to measure spectator travel behaviour and engagement with sustainability initiatives.

Working with partners, the toolkit was applied across major sporting events to test and refine its use in practice. Findings were shared through workshops, meetings and reports to inform future sustainability initiatives.

IAA funding enabled researchers to work closely with partners to test and refine the toolkit in real world settings.

Applying SEaT across multiple events demonstrated its value across different sports contexts. Findings informed sustainability initiatives and communications, supporting increased use of public transport and active travel, alongside measures such as free bus travel and secure bicycle storage.

Find out more about the impact of their work here:
NTT DATA’s Sustainability Initiatives at The 152nd Open https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPSajrCC274

Dragons join Cardiff University for Sustainability in Sport https://dragonsrfc.wales/news/2024/september/dragons-join-cardiff-university-for-sustainability-in-sport.html