Have you seen #GameZero popping up in advertisements, on TV or on the web?
We thought we'd take a look and see what it actually meant for the Premier League meeting of Tottenham Hotspur vs Chelsea.
What does 'Game Zero' mean?
According to Sky Sports, it's a partnership between the broadcaster and Tottenham. Spurs were named the Premier League's greenest club in a UN backed study earlier this year.
'Game Zero' is a campaign for the Tottenham vs Chelsea game to produce as little carbon emissions as possible, to raise awareness of the threat of climate change.
The UK Government have went and got involved in this too. Sky are labelling it as a coming together of 'fans, the sporting world and broadcasters' all working towards a 'zero-carbon future'.
According to the broadcaster, they've partnered with the UN's Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26. They've committed to be net zero carbon by 2030.
🗣 "Only we can change it."
Chelsea's Kai Havertz who witnessed devastating floods in his home town in Germany is determined to educate himself more on the threat of climate change #GameZero 🌱🍃 pic.twitter.com/6Sb0WF27ty— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) September 18, 2021
How will it affect the broadcast?
The groups are working together to minimise emissions from the game itself, whether it's the energy needed to power the game, the modes of transport used by players and fans or the food at the stadium.
It's not expected to change the broadcast itself. Tottenham Chairman Daniel Levy said they'll be "encouraging our fans to take simple actions that can make a huge difference."
So it'll likely affect those in the stadium more so. Rather than the pie or hotdog at half-time, it'll likely be a meat free substitute. Packaging will be light and recyclable.
As part of the UN's CUP26 conference, they've said fans can "score goals for their club by completing planet-protecting activities."
🌱 @SpursOfficial will host the world's first net-zero carbon football match at an elite level when they host Chelsea
➡️ https://t.co/kq5TkyRN8V#GameZero pic.twitter.com/LQ1w1qlhqg— Premier League (@premierleague) September 17, 2021
So in conclusion...
It's the right step forward across all sports to be looking to the future regarding climate change. The Premier League in this instance, is showing some innovativeness.
In other ways, there's a lot of jargon and mumbo jumbo that really won't resonate with a large portion of fans. Clubs need to enforce the changes at grounds and stadiums to make the right start.
So we'll see how many times it's mentioned on the broadcast, and if it'll spark any change going forward.
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