Broadcasters and the other football stakeholders have been urged to take action after new research revealed how bad things have become for away fans. Supporters travelling to watch their team play on the road in the UK will know how difficult it can be – and it is getting worse due to TV scheduling.
The lack of joined-up thinking by broadcasters like Sky Sports, organisers like the English Football League (EFL), clubs and train operators can leave fans stranded, or with no choice but to drive to fixtures. Those travelling from the south west or north east of England are disproportionately affected by a lack of options which drives less sustainable forms of travel and leaves fans out of pocket.
Research that looked at all 1,656 EFL fixtures over the 2024/25 season by Away End, the Cool Down – Sport for Climate Action Network and campaign group Pledgeball showed that fans are 30 times more likely to be left stranded after midweek games compared to weekend kick-offs. It wouldn’t be difficult to combat, either, with more than 40 per cent of stranded journeys improved if key rail connections were extended by just 90 minutes.
Researchers believe such changes could save fans around £50million or cut emissions by up to 23,000 tonnes CO2e – the equivalent to taking 5,300 vehicles off the road for a year.
The biggest driver of awkward kick-off times are broadcasters, who lobby for matches which are good for TV audiences, but often nightmarish for away fans. Just ask Leeds fans, who saw their Championship game against Portsmouth on Sunday, March 9 played at midday – a time which made same-day train travel impossible.
The scheduling was criticised by Leeds manager Daniel Farke, as well as supporters groups from both sides, who pointed out the conflict between Sky’s Zero campaign, which urges fans to travel more sustainably but the company then moving games to a time which takes such a decision out of their hands.
“Football fans are being squeezed. Rising ticket prices and last minute fixture rescheduling are turning away days into a real headache,” said Freddie Daley from the Cool Down Sport for Climate Action Network. “If football is serious about climate action, it needs to support fans making the sustainable choice.
“There are great examples of when this has been done well, such as UEFA providing free rail transport for fans attending the Euros in Germany in 2024, cutting costs and carbon. There is no reason why these win-wins for fans and climate can’t be replicated up and down the football pyramid in the UK.”
Away End founder James Medcalf added: “If broadcasters, rail operators, leagues and clubs can make informed and coordinated decisions with travelling fans in mind, not only can we make live football matches around the country more accessible, but also provide incentives for greener travel so we can align football and planet for future generations of fans.”
The Football Supporters’ Association (FSA) said: “In our last National Supporters’ Survey only a quarter of supporters thought clubs were doing enough to address the climate crisis and how their activities contribute to it. Transport to and from games is one of the biggest factors here and it’s clear the demands of TV are making the issue far worse for supporters and climate alike.
“We know that poor scheduling choices and moving kick-offs to unsociable times puts thousands of cars on the road every weekend. We’ve long called for better planning to help fans get to and from games using public transport – it’s time for clubs, competition organisers and broadcasters to do better.”
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