Whitehawk FC

On Sunday, The Ball was taken to a very special place: Whitehawk Football Club, a semi-professional club in East Brighton. Why is that place so special? It is basically the link between the project’s key partners: Spirit of Football & Pledgeball. For Pledgeball, it was the first club they launched with back in September 2020. Hawks fans within the Brighton community have been encouraged to make small, easy changes to their lifestyle and collectively make a big impact on carbon emissions, plus, have the chance to challenge opposition fans to do the same with fun and inspirational initiatives since! From November on, this pilot partnership was subject to our now project assistant Jenny’s research. Thanks to a research internship with Dr Mark Doidge from Brighton University, Jenny got introduced to Pledgeball’s founder Katie and was lucky enough to use this pilot partnership as case study in her master’s thesis. Through a number of virtual interviews and attending some of the club’s virtual events, she got to know the club as well as the Whitehawk FC Ultras quite well. Yet, there was no opportunity for her to visit Brighton and the club so far. Bringing The Ball to Whitehawk’s Enclosed Ground and meeting the Ultras and Club representatives for the first time in the offline world was therefore a very special and emotional moment. 

 

And it was not any day on which The Ball was travelling to Brighton and carried onto the pitch by the teams. It was marked by a very special event: Rainbow Rovers, Whitehawk FC’s affiliated LGBTQ+ team returned to action with an inclusive and environmental message – Football for All – playing the Utilita all star mixed gender team, including former England international David James.  The match ended 5:5 and The Ball was signed by, among others, the club’s chairman Andy Schofield who sees the club as part of a movement to change football for the better. 

 

Rainbow Rovers Manager Sophie Cook

 

The first Transgender woman to work in professional football who is also the manager of Rainbow Rovers and The Hawk’s Equality Inclusion & Diverstiy officer Sophie Cook signed The Ball and said

“This world needs to get less exploitative whether it is around gender, whether it is around the planet and the ecosystem that we are all part of – we need to look after it all and we need to make sure that this world works for everyone – One Ball, One World.”

 

 

 

Also former England international footballer David James who, as part of his concerns for the environment is participating in the campaign ‘Football, Rebooted’ signed The Ball. Through rehoming football boots, the campaign aims to save the same amount of emissions as taking 7,000 cars off the road. His commitment goes beyond this and he has also made many things more environmentally friendly in his private life. We really enjoyed the critical discussion about environmental aspects within football and beyond with him.

„As part of my concerns for the environment, I am participating in “football rebooted”. Rehoming preloved football boots rather than going out and buying new boots and giving people who can’t afford to buy new ones the opportunity to participate in the worlds most wonderful game. One World, One Ball.“

 

After this eventful day, the team was very happy to take The Ball to the sea and jump into the cool water.

 

 

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